:    !. 


J 


c, 


Frontispiece.    KATIE  ROBERTSON.    See  page  36. 


v/w 


r  I^O  the  many  boys  and  girls  who  are  in  early  years 
earning  an  honorable  support  for  themselves,  or 
else  assisting  their  parents  by  working  in  factories  ;  to  the 
multitudes  of  young  church  members,  who  may  be  glad 
of  some  practically  helpful  suggestions  in  surmounting  the 
difficulties  and  resisting  the  temptations  incident  to  their 
new  lives ;  to  mill-owners,  who  feel  their  solemn  respon 
sibility,  as  in  the  sight  of  God,  for  the  intellectual  and 
spiritual  welfare  of  their  operatives ;  and  chiefly  to  the 
young  Christian  manufacturer  who  has  been  the  model 
from  which  the  picture  of  "  Mr.  James"  has  been  copied, 
—  this  story,  whose  incidents  are  mostly  true  ones,  is 
dedicated. 

That  the  Holy  Spirit  may  make  use  of  it  to  inculcate 
in  young  hearts  a  sense  of  honorable  independence,  a 
conviction  of  the  dignity  of  faithfully  performed  work, 
and,  above  all,  an  earnest  and  irrevocable  choice  of  God's 
blessed  service  and  an  entire  committal  of  their  ways  to 
him,  is  the  sincere  prayer  of 

THE  AUTHOR. 
SAUGERTIES,  July  i,  1885. 

961692 


INDKX. 

Chapter  I. 
A  NEW  DEPARTURE 7 

Chapter  IT. 
ENTERING 23 

Chapter  III. 
THE  FIRST  DAY 36 

Chapter  IV. 
THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL 48 

Chapter  V. 
THE  TEA-PARTY 62 

Chapter  VI. 
A  DISCOVERY 77 

Chapter  VII. 
STRIFE  AND  VICTORY 90 

Chapter  VIII. 
TEMPLES 103 

Chapter  IX. 
UNDER  A  CLOUD 121 

Chapter  X. 
NOVEL-READING 134 

Chapter  XL 
TESSA 148 

Chapter  XII. 
GRETCHEN 163 

Chapter  XIII. 
SHIP-FEVER 176 


5  INDEX. 

Chapter  XIV. 

GOOD  FOR  EVIL l8° 

Chapter  XV. 

CONSCIENCE        2O° 

Chapter  XVI. 

DECIDING       2I4 

Chapter  XVII. 

CLEARED 225 

Chapter  XVIII. 

SEALED 237 

Chapter  XIX. 

AFTERWARD       247 

Chapter  XX. 

A  WARNING       26x 

Chapter  XXI. 

THE  Do  GOOD  SOCIETY 27* 

Chapter  XXII. 

THANKSGIVING  DAY 2°3 

Chapter  XXIII. 

SERVICE 293 

Chapter  XXIV. 

EDUCATIONAL 3°7 

Chapter  XXV. 

OUT  INTO  THE  WORLD 320 

Chapter  XXVI. 
CONCLUSION        333 


KATIE    ROBERTSON. 


CHAPTER   I. 

A   NEW   DEPARTURE. 

|UT,  mother,  it  is  n't  as  if  I  were  going 
away  from  home,  like  the  Lloyd  girls  ; 
you  might  have  a  right  to  cry  if  that 
were  the  case." 

"  I  know,  dear  ;  it 's  all  right,  and  I  ought  to 
be  very  thankful ;  but  I'm  a  foolish  woman.  I 
can't  bear  to  think  of  my  little  girl,  whom 
I  have  guarded  so  tenderly,  going  among  all 
those  girls  and  men,  and  fighting  her  way  in 
life." 

"I  don't  think  I  shall  be  much  of  a  fighter," 
laughed  Katie,  looking  at  her  diminutive  hands ; 
"and  why  is  it  any  worse  to  go  among  the  boys 
and  girls  in  the  factory  than  among  the  boys 
and  girls  in  school?  You  never  minded  that." 

"That  was  different — you  weren't  doing  it 
for  money.  O  me  !  what  would  I  have  thought 
when  I  married  your  father  if  any  one  had  told 


8  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

me  that  his  child,  his  girl  child,  would  ever 
have  to  earn  her  bread!" 

"Well,  mother,  I  won't  go,"  said  the  girl,  her 
bright  looks  fading  away,  "  if  you  don't  want  me 
to ;  but  I  don't  know  what  Mr.  Sanderson  will 
think,  he  tried  so  hard  to  get  me  into  the  mill, 
and  it  was  such  a  favor  from  Mr.  Mount  joy. 
You  said  you  were  very  thankful." 

"  So  I  was,  so  I  am ;  but  —  but  you  don't 
understand,  and  perhaps  it 's  better  you  should 
not.  I  '11  try  not  to  grumble." 

This  was  promising  more  than  Mrs.  Robert 
son  was  able  to  perform  perhaps,  for  she  was  a 
chronic  and  inveterate  grumbler.  But  she  had 
some  excuse  in  the  present  circumstances,  for 
Katie  was,  as  she  said,  her  baby,  and  the  "  apple 
of  her  eye."  Married  when  quite  young  to  the 
handsome  and  intelligent  young  village  doctor, 
she  certainly  had  not  expected  ever  to  be 
placed  in  a  position  where  her  children,  her 
girls  at  least,  would  need  to  earn  their  own 
bread.  But  in  a  few  short  years  the  doctor 
died  of  a  contagious  disease  he  had  taken 
from  one  of  his  patients,  and  as  he  had 
not  yet  begun  to  accumulate  anything,  his 


A  NEW  DEPARTURE.  9 

young  widow  was  left  with  her  three 
children  to  struggle  along  as  best  she 
could.  How  she  had  done  it  God  and  herself 
only  knew.  The  little  house  was  her  own,  the 
sole  patrimony  left  by  her  own  father.  The 
horse  and  buggy,  the  medical  library  and 
valuable  professional  instruments,  medicines, 
etc.,  were  sold  at  a  fair  valuation;  and  the 
money  thus  secured,  deposited  in  the  bank,  had 
served  as  a  last  resource  whenever  the  barrel  of 
meal  failed  or  the  cruse  of  oil  ran  dry.  For 
the  rest,  Mrs.  Robertson  was  employed  by  her 
neighbors  to  help  turn  and  put  down  carpets, 
cover  furniture,  etc.  etc.,  light  jobs  requiring 
judgment  and  skill  rather  than  strength,  for 
which  her  friends,  who  never  placed  her  in  a 
menial  capacity,  gladly  paid  double  the  sum  they 
would  to  any  one  else.  She  was  also  a  capital 
nurse,  and  in  this  position  rendered  herself 
very  valuable  in  many  households,  and  for 
such  services  she  was  even  more  generously 
remunerated  ;  so  that  somehow  she  managed 
to  keep  her  head  above  water  while  her  children 
were  small,  and  feed,  clothe,  and  send  them  to 
school  as  they  grew  older. 


10  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

Her  children  were,  of  course,  the  one 
source  of  consolation  left  to  the  poor  widow, 
and  many  at  long  evening's  work  was  both 
shortened  and  lightened  by  golden  dreams  of 
their  future  prosperity  and  success. 

When  her  eldest  boy  Eric  was  twelve,  and 
when  Alfred,  the  second  child,  was  only  ten, 
a  friend  made  interest  with  Mr.  Sanderson, 
superintendent  of  the  bookbindery,  auxiliary 
to  the  Squantown  Paper  Mills,  to  give  the  two 
boys  steady  employment,  and  since  that  time, 
four  years  ago,  their  earnings,  small  but 
certain,  had  greatly  helped  in  the  family 
expenses.  Both  were  noble,  manly  fellows, 
with,  as  yet,  no  bad  habits.  They  brought  their 
mother  all  that  they  earned,  and  were  quite 
content  to  pass  their  evenings  with  her  and  their 
little  sister.  Katie,  who  was  now  thirteen,  had 
always  attended  the  public  school  in  the 
village,  of  course  helping  her  mother  with  the 
housework  and  sewing.  She  was  a  delicate 
little  creature,  small  for  her  years,  but  bright 
and  intelligent,  a  general  favorite  with  the 
village  children  as  well  as  with  her  Sunday- 
school  teacher,  Miss  Etta  Mount  joy,  who 


A  NEW  DEPARTURE.  II 

was  not  so  very  many  years  older  than 
herself. 

Katie  was  a  very  lady-like  looking  girl,  and 
did  not  seem  fitted  to  do  very  hard  work,  nor 
to  mix  among  rough  people,  but  she  was  an 
independent  little  thing  who  knew  very  well 
how  poor  her  mother  was  and  how  hard  both  she 
and  her  brothers  had  to  work.  She  knew  that 
her  breakfasts,  dinners,  and  suppers  cost  some 
thing,  and  that  it  took  money  to  buy  the  good 
shoes  and  neat,  whole  dresses  in  which  her 
mother  always  kept  her  dressed,  and  she 
resolved  in  her  own  wise  little  head  to  find 
some  way  of  contributing  to  the  family  stock. 
It  was  some  time  before  she  saw  her  way  clear 
to  do  this,  but  at  last  she  took  counsel  of 
a  school-fellow  whose  sister  worked  in  the 
folding-room  of  the  Squantown  Paper  Mills  and 
found  that  even  a  young  girl  might  earn 
considerable  in  this  way.  So,  without  telling 
any  one  at  home  of  her  plans,  she,  one  evening, 
presented  herself  before  Mr.  Sanderson  and 
requested  to  be  taken  into  the  bindery. 

"What  can  you  do,  little  puss?"  said  this 
gentleman,  quite  surprised.  "  You  look  about 


12  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

large  enough  to  play  with  dolls,  like  my 
Nina." 

"I'm  almost  fourteen,"  said  Katie,  drawing 
herself  up  to  her  full  height  and  trying  to  look 
sedate.  "I'm  two  years  older  than  Nina; 
I  'm  as  old  as  your  Bertie,  Mr.  Sanderson,  and 
I  must  make  some  money." 

"  Must  you,  indeed?"  said  he,  beginning  to  be 
more  interested.  "  Don't  I  know  your  face  ? 
Let  me  see.  Why,  it  can't  be  —  yes,  it  is  Katie 
Robertson  !  How  time  flies  !  It  seems  to  me 
only  yesterday  that  your  father  died,  and  you 
were  a  baby ;  but  Bertie  was  one,  too,  then, 
that 's  a  fact.  How  time  does  fly,  to  be  sure ! 
So  you  want  to  get  into  the  bindery  where 
your  brothers  are,  I  suppose  ? "  Katie  nodded. 
"  Well,  now,"  continued  he,  "  it 's  most  unfortu 
nate,  but  there  is  n't  a  vacancy  anywhere ;  we 
have  five  or  six  applicants  now  waiting  for  a 
chance.  Why  don't  you  try  the  mill  ? " 

"  The  mill !  "  said  Katie,  "  the  paper-mill  ?  But 
I  don't  know  any  one  there  ;  how  could  I  go  and 
ask  strangers?" 

"  I  think  you  're  brave  enough  to  ask  any 
one,"  said  Mr.  Sanderson.  "  I  suppose  you  'd  find 


A   NEW  DEPARTURE.  1 3 

it  hard,  though,  and  perhaps  no  one  would 
believe  that  you  were  old  enough  or  strong 
enough  to  work.  Your  looks  are  against  you, 
little  one ;  and  then,  Mr.  Mount  joy  did  not 
know  your  father  as  I  did  ;  he  came  here  after 
ward.  Let  me  see.  Perhaps  I  might  have  some 
influence.  Will  you  trust  your  case  in  my 
hands  ? "  And,  as  the  girl  nodded,  he  continued : 
"  Come  here  about  this  time  to-morrow  evening, 
and  I  will  report  progress.  Perhaps  I  may  have 
some  good  news  for  you,  but  don't  be  too  sure. 
It  is  n't  so  easy  to  get  into  the  mill  either ;  there 
are  always  a  great  many  applicants.  You'll 
come?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  Katie,  and  went  away  in  a 
state  of  disappointed  uncertainty.  It  was  not 
quite,  so  easy  to  earn  money  as  she  had 
supposed. 

The  little  girl  looked  very  mysterious  all  tea- 
time,  and  threw  out  several  hints  that  quite 
mystified  her  brothers  about  Mr.  Sanderson  and 
the  bindery.  But  no  one  guessed  her  secret, 
and  the  next  afternoon,  just  as  she  was  begin 
ning  to  think  of  putting  on  her  hat  and  running 
down  to  get  her  answer,  who  should  come  into 
the  gate  but  Mr.  Sanderson  himself. 


14  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

Mrs.  Robertson  was  greatly  frightened  when 
she  saw  him.  She  was  one  of  those  persons  who 
always  look  on  the  dark  side  of  things,  and  she 
feared  her  boys  had  got  into  trouble  and  would 
perhaps  lose  their  situations.  She  trembled  so 
that  she  could  hardly  put  on  the  widow's  cap,  in 
which  she  always  appeared  before  strangers 
(alchcugh  it  was  now  six  years  since  the  doctor 
had  left  her  and  gone  home  to  heaven),  and  said 
to  her  daughter:  — 

"That's  always  our  luck!  Just  as  soon  as 
things  seem  to  be  going  straight  with  us,  some 
terrible  misfortune  is  sure  to  happen ;  we  're 
the  most  unfortunate  family  in  the  world." 

The  poor  lady  forgot  that,  with  the  one 
exception  of  her  husband's  death,  her  life  had 
been  one  of  unmingled,  as  well  as  undeserved, 
happiness ;  and  even  in  that  loss  her  three 
children  had  been  spared  to  her,  friends  had 
been  raised  up  to  help  her,  and  there  had  never 
been  a  day  when  she  and  her  children  had  not 
had  enough  plain  food  to  eat  and  plain  clothes 
to  wear.  It  is  thus  that  we  are  all  apt  to 
dishonor  God  by  dwelling  upon  the  one  thing 
which  in  his  providence  he  has  seen  fit  to  take 


A   XE  W  DEPA  R  TURE.  1 5 

away,  and  forgetting  to  thank  him  for  all  the 
many  other  blessings  he  has  given  us. 

But  Katie  was  full  of  expectation  and  sup 
pressed  delight.  She  was  the  opposite  of  her 
mother,  and  always  expected  good  news,  and 
she  felt  sure  that  Mr.  Sanderson  would  not  have 
taken  the  trouble  to  come  himself,  except  to  tell 
her  that  he  had  secured  a  place  for  her.  Her 
eyes  danced  as  she  let  him  in,  and  she  looked 
inquiringly  in  his  face.  But  he  said  nothing, 
except : — 

"Good-evening,  Katie.  I  would  like  to  see 
your  mother  a  few  moments."  So  she  ushered 
him  into  the  "front  room,"  so  seldom  used,  and 
went  to  summon  her  mother,  waiting  outside 
the  door  till  she  should  herself  be  called  in  to 
the  consultation. 

When  Mr.  Sanderson  told  Mrs.  Robertson 
that  he  had  called  to  say  that  he  had  been 
successful  in  his  application  to  Mr.  Mount  joy, 
who  had  agreed  to  take  Katie  into  the  "rag- 
room  "  of  the  paper-mill,  in  consideration  of  his 
interest  in  her  mother,  she  was  completely  taken 
by  surprise  and  inclined  to  be  offended  with 
both  gentlemen  for  their  interference,  as  she 


1 6  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

thought  it,  with  her  business ;  but  when  she 
heard  that  the  application  came  from  the  child 
herself,  while  greatly  surprised,  she  couid  not 
but  feel  grateful  to  them  for  their  trouble,  and 
expressed  herself  so,  while  she  nevertheless 
decidedly  declined  to  allow  Katie  to  accept  the 
position,  saying  she  was  altogether  too  young 
and  too  delicate,  and  that  she  would  not  have 
her  daughter  disgraced  by  working  for  her 
living. 

"  For  the  matter  of  that,"  said  Mr.  Sanderson, 
"I  shall  be  glad  to  have  my  Bertie  take  the 
place  if  you  don't  want  it  for  Katie.  I  have 
a  large  family  to  bring  up,  and  I  want  my  girls 
and  boys  both  to  be  independent.  I  hadn't 
thought  of  it  for  Bertie  quite  yet,  but  your 
Katie  reminded  me  last  night  of  how  old  she 
is ;  and  I  see  she  is  none  too  young  to  begin." 

This  put  a  little  different  face  on  the  matter, 
for  Mrs.  Sanderson  and  Mrs.  Robertson  had  been 
intimate  friends  when  girls,  in  precisely  the  same 
rank  in  life,  although  one  had  married  a  doctor 
and  the  other  the  overseer  of  the  bookbindery. 
Moreover,  Mr.  Sanderson  was  known  to  be  very 
well  off  and  quite  able  —  had  he  judged  it 


A   NEW  DEPARTURE.  I  7 

best  —  to  bring  up  his  girls  in  idleness,  as 
useless  fine  ladies.  Perhaps  it  would  not  be 
such  a  disgrace,  after  all,  and  they  did  sorely 
need  the  money.  Katie  was  not  dressed  as 
her  father's  child  should  be,  and  toil  as  she 
might,  even  with  the  boys'  wages  the  widow 
could  not  make  more  than  sufficed  to  keep 
up  the  little  home.  Then,  too,  her  child  would 
have  to  do  something  for  herself  when  she 
grew  up ;  she  would  have  no  one  to  look 
to  but  herself,  and  though  teaching  would 
be  perhaps  a  more  genteel  way  of  support,  it 
was  a  very  laborious  one,  and  would  make  it 
necessary  to  go  away  from  home,  as  the  Lloyd 
girls  were  going  to  do,  and  to  remain  away  for 
several  years,  first  at  some  higher  institution  of 
learning  and  then  at  the  Normal  School,  and 
where  would  the  money  come  from  to  pay 
the  tuition  fees,  traveling  expenses,  and  board 
bills? 

All  this  passed  through  Mrs.  Robertson's 
mind  as  Mr.  Sanderson  reasoned  with  her  and 
showed  her  the  foolishness  of  her  objections, 
and  finally  the  impatient  Katie  was  called 
in,  and  informed  that  she  might  "try  it  for 


1 8  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

a  while  "  ;  and  then  the  visitor  was  thanked  for 
his  trouble,  and  took  his  leave. 

This  all  happened  a  week  ago.  The  inter 
vening  time  had  been  spent  in  putting  Katie's 
simple  wardrobe  in  order  and  in  making  home 
arrangements  by  which  Mrs.  Robertson  would 
not  miss  her  daughter  more  than  she  could  help, 
in  those  various  little  services  which  she  had 
been  wont  to  render.  The  last  day  had  now 
come ;  to-morrow  the  new  life  was  to  begin,  and 
Katie  was  clearing  up  the  breakfast  things  for 
the  last  time  when  the  conversation  with  which 
our  story  commences  took  place. 

"I  wish  it  was  not  in  the  rag-room,"  said 
Mrs.  Robertson,  by-and-by,  when  Katie,  having 
finished  her  dishes  and  swept  up  the  room, 
drew  her  seat  to  her  mother's  side  and  took 
up  her  work  —  the  ruffle  of  the  last  of  the 
six  mob-caps  she  was  to  wear  at  her  work. 

"  Why  ? "  said  her  daughter,  to  whom  the 
factory  was  just  now  a  sort  of  enchanted  palace, 
any  one  of  whose  rooms  was  delightful  to 
contemplate. 

"  It 's  such  a  low,  dirty  place,  I  'm  told,  and 
there's  so  many  common  women  and  girls 
there," 


A    NEW  DEPARTURE.  19 

"  Well,  I  need  n't  talk  to  them,  I  suppose. 
I  need  n't  be  common,  at  any  rate,  and  I  can't 
get  dirty  in  those  great  long-sleeved  aprons  and 
these  nice  little  caps.  You  don't  know  how 
smart  I  'm  going  to  be,  and  won't  you  be  proud 
of  your  big  girl  when  she  brings  home  her  first 
three-dollar  bill,  all  earned  in  one  week  ?  Eric 
will  see  that  a  girl 's  worth  something,  after 
all,  and  Alfred  sha'n't  make  fun  of  me  any 
more." 

Mrs.  Robertson  did  not  say  anything  else 
just  now  ;  she  did  not  like  to  be  always  check 
ing  the  exuberance  of  her  child's  spirits  with 
the  dull  forebodings  of  her  own,  but  she  could 
not  see  the  paper-mill  through  the  same  halo 
that  invested  it  in  Katie's  eyes.  She  knew 
there  were  snares  and  temptations,  besides 
disagreeable  and  hard  work  to  be  met  and 
encountered  there,  and  she  feared  that  the 
child's  future  disappointment  would  be  pro 
portioned  to  the  brightness  of  her  present 
hopes.  Still,  as  the  matter  was  determined 
upon,  she  knew  it  was  right  to  make  the  best 
of  it,  and  she  tried  to  talk  pleasantly  and  at 
least  seem  to  sympathize  with  her  daughter's 
enthusiasm. 


2O  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

So  passed  the  day,  and  at  night  when  the 
boys  came  home  they  were  called  upon  to 
listen  for  the  hundredth  time  to  all  the  rose- 
colored  plans,  and  were  pressed  to  declare  that 
there  could  be  nothing  in  the  world  more 
delightful  than  working  in  a  factory. 

But  the  boys  could  not  see  it  in  that  light 
any  more  than  their  mother.  They  were  as 
content  to  work  as  are  most  men  and  boys  who 
seem  to  take  it  for  granted  that  it  is  in  the 
course  of  nature  for  them  to  earn  their  bread 
by  the  sweat  of  their  brow,  but  they  had  been 
at  it  long  enough  to  have  lost  the  sense  of 
novelty  and  to  understand  that  it  was  work 
and  not  play  which  their  sister  was  under 
taking. 

"  Won't  you  be  sick  of  it  !  "  said  Alfred,  in 
>nswer  to  one  of  Katie's  outbursts,  "  and  long, 
when  Saturday  comes,  to  go  out  nutting  with 
the  girls,  or  off  on  a  hay-ride,  or  something  ! 
You  '11  wish  you  were  free  before  you  Ve  been 
a  slave  many  months,  or  I  'm  no  prophet." 

"Well,  she  shall  be  free  if  she  wants  to," 
said  Eric,  kindly.  "Our  only  little  sister 
sha'n't  work  if  she  don't  want  to ;  we  can 
take  care  of  her,  Alfred,  can't  we  ?  " 


A   NEW  DEPARTURE.  21 

"  But  I  do  want  to  work/'  said  Katie ;  "  I 
know  I  sha'n't  get  tired,  or  if  I  do  get  tired  of 
the  work,  I  sha'n't  of  getting  the  money  ;  for, 
boys,  I  mean  to  be  a  rich,  independent  woman, 
and  help  take  care  of  mother.  You  need  n't 
suppose  that  I  'm  going  to  be  dependent  upon 
you." 

"All  right,  young  lady,"  said  Alfred,  "only 
I  think  you  '11  sing  a  different  tune  before  many 
months  are  over." 

"The  tune  you  ought  to  sing  just  now, 
children,"  said  Mrs.  Robertson,  "  is  '  Good 
night.'  You  all  have  to  go  to  work  very  early, 
and  Katie  is  not  used  to  it.  Good-night, 
darling,  and  don't  forget  to  ask  God  to  bless 
you  and  shield  you  in  your  new  undertaking." 

"  I  asked  him  that  night  to  make  Mr.  Mount- 
joy  listen  to  Mr.  Sanderson  and  give  me  the 
place,"  said  Katie,  with  a  rising  color ;  "  don't 
you  think  he  heard  me  and  answered  my 
prayer  ?  It  seems  as  though  he  had  just 
made  it  all  straight  and  plain.  I  feel  just 
like  thanking  him  to-night ;  and,  mother,  don't 
you  worry  so  much.  Don't  you  think  Jesus  is 
strong  enough  to  take  care  of  me  anywhere  if 
I  ask  him  to?" 


22  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  the  mother,  almost 
ashamed  of  her  forebodings,  and  rebuked,  as 
she  had  many  a  time  been,  by  the  bright,  hope 
ful  faith  of  her  child.  Surely  when  she  looked 
at  the  bright,  happy,  healthy  faces  of  her  chil 
dren,  she  too  had  ample  cause  for  thankfulness, 
and  for  continued  trust  in  the  divine  love 
which  had  carried  her  safely  through  so  many 
emergencies  and  had  promised  never  to  leave 
or  forsake  her  or  hers. 


ENTERING.  2$ 


CHAPTER    II. 

ENTERING. 

|ALLO,  Katie,  wake  up,  wake  up!  "  and 
Eric  rattled  the  knob  of  his  sister's 
door.  But  he  was  compelled  to  do  so 
many  times  before  he  heard  a  sleepy  "  What 's 
the  matter  ? " 

"  Matter  ?  Why  it 's  high  time  you  were  up 
if  you  mean  to  get  to  the  factory  this  morning." 

"It's  the  middle  of  the  night,"  said  Katie, 
yawning. 

"  Indeed,  it  is  not.  It 's  after  five  o'clock,  and 
work  begins  at  half -past  six.  You  have  n't  a 
moment  to  spare  if  you  want  to  dress  yourself, 
get  your  breakfast,  and  get  to  the  mill  in  time ; 
it 's  farther  off  than  the  bindery.  Come,  be  a 
brave  girl,  and  jump  up  quickly." 

Thus  adjured,  the  little  girl  jumped  out  of 
bed  —  but  how  cold  and  dark  it  was !  although 
Eric  had  left  the  lamp  in  the  hall  outside.  One 
of  Katie's  failings  —  not  an  uncommon  one 
among  girls  and  boys  —  was  a  great  dislike  to 


24  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

getting  up  early  in  the  morning,  and  her  mother 
had  always  humored  her  in  the  matter,  getting 
up  herself  and  giving  the  boys  their  breakfast 
early,  and  then  waking  her  little  girl  just  in  time 
to  eat  her  own  and  get  to  school  at  nine  o'clock. 
Even  then  it  was  sometimes  a  difficult  task. 

The  young  work-woman  had  not  included  the 
necessity  of  getting  up  so  very  early  in  the 
morning  as  one  of  the  many  anticipated  delights 
of  her  new  position.  This  first  taste  of  it  seemed, 
on  the  contrary,  quite  a  hardship.  Still,  when 
she  was  once  out  of  bed,  there  was  a  certain 
romance  in  dressing  by  lamplight,  and  she  knelt 
down  by  her  bedside  to  offer  her  morning 
prayer,  with  a  strange  feeling  of  mingled  awe 
and  thankfulness. 

Katie  Robertson  was  a  Christian  girl,  and 
was  really  desirous  to  please  the  blessed  Saviour 
who  had  done  so  much  for  her.  She  could  not 
remember  the  time  when  she  did  not  love  him  ; 
but  for  the  last  few  years,  since  she  had  grown 
older  and  begun  to  understand  things  better, 
she  had  felt  a  longing  desire  to  be  like  him  and 
to  please  him  in  her  life  and  actions.  She 
found  time  to  open  her  little  Bible  this  morning 


ENTERING.  2  C 

and  read  one  or  two  verses  by  the  light  of  the 
lamp.  They  were  these  :  — 

"  In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  him,  and  he 
shall  direct  thy  paths";  "Whether,  therefore, 
ye  eat  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to 
the  glory  of  God,"  and  "  I  can  do  all  things 
through  Christ  who  strengthens  me." 

And  then  she  prayed  earnestly  that  she 
might  in  these  "  ways "  upon  which  she  was 
entering  always  "  acknowledge "  God,  be 
faithful  to  her  work,  do  it  "to  the  glory  of 
God,"  and  have  the  strength  which  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  has  promised  to  give  to  those 
who  ask  him,  to  resist  temptation  and  stand 
up  for  truth  and  righteousness  in  the  new  life 
which  lay  before  her.  She  prayed,  also,  that 
her  heavenly  Father  would  give  her  some  work 
to  do  for  him  among  her  companions  in  the 
mill,  and  then  she  went  downstairs. 

Breakfast  was  all  ready,  and  it  seemed  quite 
funny  to  eat  it  by  lamplight  ;  but  by  the  time  it 
was  over  it  was  pretty  light  outside,  and  when, 
warmly  wrapped  up,  Katie  left  the  house  with 
her  brothers  there  was  a  rosy  flush  over  the 
snow  which  sparkled  and  glistened,  and  the 


26  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

young  factory-girl  set  out  in  high  spirits  for 
her  first  day's  work.  The  boys  escorted  her  as 
far  as  the  great  gates,  where  a  good  many 
other  girls  and  boys  were  waiting  among  a 
crowd  of  men  and  women,  and  then  ran  back 
to  be  in  time  at  the  bindery,  which  was  a  little 
nearer  home. 

It  was  rather  cold  waiting  outside,  and,  if  the 
truth  must  be  told,  our  little  girl  felt  just  a  trifle 
homesick  among  so  many  strangers,  for  as  yet 
she  had  not  seen  a  familiar  face,  and  something 
seemed  to  rise  in  her  throat  that  she  found 
hard  to  swallow ;  but  just  as  she  felt  that  she 
must  have  a  good  cry,  and  at  the  same  time 
resolved  that  she  wouldn't,  the  great  steam- 
whistle  shrieked,  the  bell  in  the  tower  rang,  the 
gates  opened  from  the  inside,  the  gathered  crowd 
rushed  in,  and  all  along  the  road  might  be  seen 
flying  figures  of  men,  women,  boys,  and  girls, 
hurrying  to  be  in  their  places  at  the  commence 
ment  of  work  and  thus  avoid  the  fine  imposed 
upon  stragglers.  There  was  a  pause  of  a  few 
moments  in  the  paved  inside  court  while  the 
inner  doors  of  the  great  brick  building  were 
opened,  and  then  the  incoming  crowd  entering 


ENTERING.  2  7 

in  various  directions,  scattered  among  the 
different  corridors  and  left  the  "new  girl" 
standing  alone  and  bewildered  at  the  entrance. 

In  front  of  her  stretched  a  long,  narrow  hall, 
clean  and  fresh  (Squantown  Paper  Mills  were 
new  and  built  after  the  most  approved  models), 
with  doors  opening  from  it  at  intervals  on  both 
sides.  Some  of  these  doors  were  open  and 
some  were  shut;  into  some  the  work-people 
were  constantly  disappearing,  as  though  the 
doors  were  mouths  that  opened  suddenly  and 
swallowed  them  up,  and  into  some  of  the  open 
ones  Katie  peeped  timidly  and  turned  back 
disconsolately  as  she  discovered  that  they  only 
afforded  entrance  to  similar  corridors,  pierced 
by  similar  rows  of  doors. 

At  length  the  last  straggler  had  entered, 
gone  his  way,  and  disappeared,  and  dead  silence 
reigned.  Katie  felt  as  though  she  were  alone 
in  the  universe,  and  almost  wondered  if  she 
were  to  be  left  there  forever,  when  a  short, 
sharp,  deafening  whistle  echoed  through  the 
hall,  and  at  the  same  instant  the  great  building 
vibrated  from  top  to  bottom,  the  roar  of 
machinery  swallowed  up  the  silence,  and  the 
day's  work  began. 


28  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

Immediately  afterward  a  side  door,  close  to 
where  our  little  girl  was  standing,  opened,  and 
out  of  it  came  the  foreman  of  the  mill,  who 
had  been  up  to  this  moment  in  the  office, 
receiving  his  orders  for  the  day. 

"  Hallo,  you ! "  he  said  crossly,  seeing  a 
girl  standing  idle  in  the  hall ;  "  why  don't  you 
go  about  your  business  ?  Go  to  work  if  you 
belong  here  ;  go  home  if  you  don't !  No  idlers 
or  beggars  allowed  here,  so  close  to  the  office 
door,  too.  Come,  run  away  quickly." 

"  If  you  please,  Mr.  Thornton,  I  've  come  to 
work  in  the  mill,  in  the  rag-room,  but  I  don't 
know  which  way  to  go." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  the  foreman,  "  you  're  a  new 
hand,  eh  ?  Rather  a  small  one.  It  seems  to 
me  Mr.  Mount  joy  will  end  by  having  a  nursery 
rather  than  a  mill,  but  he  knows  his  own 
business  best,  I  suppose.  New  hands  are  not 
in  my  department,  however.  Mr.  James,"  he 
called,  reopening  the  office  door  and  putting 
his  head  in  again,  "  here 's  some  work  for 
you." 

The  "  new  hand  "  expected  now  to  have  an 
interview  with  the  awful  Mr.  Mount  joy,  Miss 


ENTERING.  2Q 

Etta's  father,  of  whom  she  had  heard  so  much, 
but  had  never  yet  seen,  and  began  to  tremble 
a  little  in  anticipation.  But,  instead,  a  rosy- 
faced,  light-haired  young  man  appeared,  to 
whom  the  foreman  made  a  slight  bow,  and  then 
went  away.  This  was  Mr.  James  Mount  joy, 
Miss  Etta's  brother,  and  the  only  son  of  the 
proprietor  of  the  mill.  Katie  had  heard  her 
brothers,  who  were  in  his  Sunday-school  class, 
talk  about  him,  but  had  never  seen  him  before. 

"Your  name,  little  girl,"  he  said  pleasantly, 
as  he  ushered  her  into  the  office. 

"  Katie  Robertson,  sir.     Mr.  Sanderson  "  — 

"  Oh,  I  know ;  Mr.  Sanderson  recommended 
you  to  my  father.  You  look  almost  too  small  to 
work.  Can  you  do  anything  ?  " 

"I  can  cook,  and  wash  dishes,  and  help 
mother,  and  sew ;  I  was  in  the  first  class  at 
school  "  — 

"  That  is  not  any  of  it  precisely  the  kind  of 
work  we  do  here,"  said  the  young  gentleman, 
pleasantly ;  "  but  no  doubt  you  are  a  quick  little 
girl,  and  if  you  are  used  to  doing  some  kinds 
of  work  others  will  not  come  so  hard  to  you. 
But  you  must  understand  in  the  beginning 


3<D  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

that  work  in  a  factory  is  work,  not  play  ;  work 
that  cannot  be  laid  aside  when  one  is  tired  of 
it,  or  when  one  wants  to  go  on  an  excursion  or 
to  do  something  else.  It  is  work,  too,  for  which 
you  are  to  be  paid,  and  it  would  be  dishonesty 
not  to  do  it  faithfully  as  in  the  sight  of  God. 
Our  rules  are  no  stricter  than  they  must  be 
for  the  best  good  of  the  work  and  the  comfort 
and  protection  of  all,  but  we  expect  them  to  be 
obeyed.  You  will  remember  that.  There  must 
be  no  playing  or  whispering  in  work  hours,  and 
you  must  always  be  on  time.  We  want  all  our 
work-people  to  be  happy,  and  I  am  sure  that 
the  best  kind  of  happiness  comes  from  fidelity 
to  duty.  Can  you  be  a  faithful  little  girl  ? " 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  Katie,  with  a  slight  blush, 
though  she  did  not  feel  at  all  afraid  of  him; 
"  I  am  trying  to  please  God  everywhere,  and 
I  am  sure  he  will  help  me  to  do  so  here." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  that,"  said  the 
young  man,  with  a  smile.  "If  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  in  this  factory  were  really 
trusting  in  God  and  trying  to  please  him,  we 
wouldn't  need 'so  many  rules  and  the  work 
would  not  be  so  hard.  One  thing  more:  I 


ENTERING.  3 1 

believe  you  are  to  be  in  the  rag-room ;  that  is 
a  dirty  place,  in  spite  of  all  our  efforts  to  keep 
it  clean  and  well  ventilated  ;  you  won't  find  it 
very  pleasant  there  always,  but  perhaps  you 
can  learn  to  endure  for  Christ's  and  duty's 
sake ;  and  every  one  has  to  begin  at  the  bottom, 
you  know,  who  means  to  climb  to  the  top  of 
the  ladder." 

During  the  latter  part  of  this  talk  the  gentle 
man  and  the  child  had  been  ascending  flight 
after  flight  of  broad,  open  staircases,  as  well 
as  several  narrow,  spiral  ones,  crossing  machin 
ery-rooms,  where  great  arms  and  wheels  and 
screws,  in  constant  motion,  made  the  little  girl 
shudder,  and  threading  narrow  passages  and 
outside  balconies,  where  the  broad  raceway 
foamed  and  roared  fifty  or  sixty  feet  beneath 
them.  Katie  had  n^ver  been  inside  of  the 
great  paper-mill  before,  though  she  had  always 
admired  its  fine  proportions  and  handsome 
architecture  from  the  outside.  She  was  sur 
prised  now  to  see  how  really  beautiful  every 
thing  was.  The  floors  were  laid  in  wood  of  two 
contrasting  colors ;  the  balusters  were  of  solid 
black  walnut ;  there  were  rows  and  rows  of 


32  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 

clear  glass  windows  in  the  rooms  and  corridors, 
while  the  machinery  was  either  of  shining 
steel  or  polished  brass.  In  some  of  the  rooms 
were  girls  tending  the  ruling  and  cutting  and 
folding  machines,  and  occasionally  one  would 
nod  to  Katie,  but  no  one  spoke  except  where 
the  work  rendered  it  necessary. 

At  last  the  room  next  to  the  top  of  the  vast 
building  was  reached,  and  there  Mr.  James 
opened  a  door  and  ushered  Katie  into  a 
room  which  extended  the  whole  length  of  one 
side  of  the  building.  The  windows,  of  which 
there  were  fifteen,  were  wide  open,  but  for  all 
that  the  air  was  so  thick  with  dust  that  at  first 
Katie  drew  back  with  a  sense  of  suffocation." 

"I  told  you  it  would  not  be  pleasant,"  said 
Mr.  James,  "but  this  is  your  appointed  place. 
Be  a  brave  girl,  and  when  you  are  used  to  it 
it  won't  seem  so  bad." 

The  sense  of  suffocation  was  caused  by  the 
particles  of  dust  with  which  the  air  was  heavily 
laden,  and  which  flew  from  the  piles  of  rags 
which  over  fifty  girls  were  busily  engaged  in 
sorting,  putting  the  dark-colored  ones  by  them 
selves,  the  medium-colored  by  themselves,  and 


ENTERING.  33 

the  white  ones  —  or  those  that  had  been  white 
—  into  large  boxes.  As  soon  as  these  boxes 
were  filled  they  were  placed  on  wheelbarrows 
and  emptied  into  long  slides  by  men  who 
waited  for  them  and  returned  the  boxes.  Mr. 
James  explained  to  his  young  companion  that 
these  slides  emptied  their  contents  into  great 
vats  in  the  room  below,  where  after  lying  some 
days  in  a  certain  purifying  solution  they  were 
boiled  with  soda  to  loosen  the  dirt,  thor 
oughly  washed  by  machinery,  and  passed  into 
great  copper  kettles,  where  they  were  boiled 
to  a  pulp  and  ground  at  the  same  time,  hori 
zontal  grindstones  reducing  them  to  the  finest 
powder.  He  also  showed  her  that  the  dust 
was  rendered  much  less  hurtful  than  it  would 
otherwise  have  been  by  a  great  fan  kept  con 
stantly  at  work  on  one  side  of  the  room,  which 
drove  it  out  of  the  windows  in  front  of  the 
girls,  who  were  thus  not  compelled  to  breathe 
it  unless  they  turned  directly  around  facing 
the  blast,  as  Katie  had  done  on  entering  the 
room.  He  then  put  her  under  the  care  of  a 
pleasant-faced  woman,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
oversee  the  little  girls,  saw  that  she  had  a 


34 


KATIE   ROBERTSON. 


comfortable  seat,  shook  hands  with  her,  and 
went  away. 

Mr.  James  was  by  no  means  called  upon  to 
be  so  polite  to  a  "  new  hand  "  ;  most  employers 
would  have  told  the  child  which  way  to  go 
and  then  left  her  to  shift  for  herself,  or  at 
best  have  sent  a  man  or  boy  to  show  her  the 
way.  Perhaps  he  would  have  done  so  with 
some  girls,  but  he  saw  that  the  child  was  timid 
and  homesick,  and  knew  that  a  few  kind  words 
would  go  a  great  way  toward  making  her  feel 
at  home  and  happy,  and  would  serve  as  an 
offset  against  the  disagreeable  first  impres 
sions  of  the  rag-room,  and  the  weariness  of 
regular  work  undertaken  for  the  first  time. 

Why  should  he  care  to  have  one  of  his 
factory  girls  "  feel  at  home  and  happy  "  ?  some 
one  will  say ;  his  relations  with  them  are  only 
those  of  business  :  so  much  work  for  so  much 
money ;  it  was  nothing  to  him  what  they 
thought  or  felt.  Mr.  James  Mount  joy  did  not 
feel  so.  He  thought  that  his  father  and  he 
were  placed  in  this  responsible  position  and 
given  the  care  of  several  hundred  human  souls 
expressly  that  some  good  work  might  be  done 
for  them.  He  felt  that  human  beings  are 


ENTERING.  35 

more  precious  than  machinery,  and  that  happi 
ness  is  an  important  factor  in  goodness.  He 
looked  upon  his  work-people  as  those  for  whom 
he  must  give  account,  and  tried  to  act  in  all 
his  dealings  with  them  "to  the  glory  of  God." 
Had  he  been  actuated  by  the  purest  selfish 
ness  and  the  most  approved  business  princi 
ples,  he  could  not  have  chosen  a  wiser  course ; 
for  men  and  women  treated  as  friends  become 
almost  of  necessity  friendly,  and  seeing  their 
own  interests  cared  for  were  all  the  more 
likely  to  care  for  those  of  their  employer. 
Katie  Robertson  certainly  never  forgot  Mr. 
James's  judicious  kindness  on  the  morning  of 
her  entrance  into  the  mill ;  he  was  to  her  the 
kindest,  sweetest,  and  most  lovable  of  gentle 
men.  She  felt  ready  to  do  anything  he  should 
tell  her  and  to  keep  every  rule  he  might  make. 
Then,  too,  he  was  a  Christian,  and  understood 
all  about  what  she  meant  when  she  had  said 
God  would  help  her  ;  surely  it  must  be  very 
easy  to  be  good  and  resist  temptation  in  a 
place  with  such  a  master,  and  she  felt  like 
thanking  God  that,  in  spite  of  the  suffocating 
dust,  "  the  lines  had  fallen  to  her  in  such  very 
pleasant  places." 


36  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 


CHAPTER    III. 
THE   FIRST   DAY. 

EFT  to  herself  Katie  looked  timidly 
round.  It  is  always  an  ordeal  to  meet 
so  many  strangers  for  the  first  time, 
and  our  little  friend  was  beginning  to  feel  quite 
forlorn,  when  Miss  Peters,  the  superintendent 
of  the  rag-room,  came  to  her  and  began  to 
show  her  about  the  work  to  be  done ;  how, 
besides  the  rags  being  sorted,  the  buttons  were 
to  be  taken  off  and  the  larger  pieces  cut  into 
small  ones  by  pulling  them  dexterously  along 
and  between  two  great  sharp  knives  set  on  end 
for  the  purpose.  Katie  had  already  covered 
her  clean  dress  with  the  long-sleeved  blue  apron 
and  her  hair  with  the  little  mob-cap  her  mother 
had  provided,  and  at  once  commenced  her  work, 
not  at  all  seeing  or  noticing  the  scornful  looks 
that  passed  between  some  of  the  girls  whose 
ragged  finery  and  dirty  hair-ribbons  full  of  dust 
and  "flue  "  presented  a  lively  contrast  to  her 
own  neat  and  suitable  equipment.  We  may 


THE  FIRST  DAY.  37 

observe,  in  passing,  that  before  long  this  simple 
method  of  protection  so  commended  itself  to 
some  of  the  more  sensible  girls  und  their 
parents  that  many  of  them  adopted  it  and  mob- 
caps  and  overalls  became  quite  the  fashion  in 
the  mill. 

Katie  was  a  smart  little  girl  and  could  work 
very  quickly  when  she  set  about  it ;  of  course 
to-day  she  was  anxious  to  show  how  much  she 
could  do,  and  her  piles  and  boxes  were  fuller 
than  those  of  any  girls  near  her  by  the  time  of 
the  warning  whistle,  which  indicated  that  in  half 
an  hour  the  dinner-bell  would  sound.  Then 
there  was  a  bustle  in  the  room.  The  piles 
were  taken  away  in  long  and  deep  barrows 
which  men  wheeled  into  the  room,  the  boxes 
were  carried  off,  emptied  into  the  vats,  and 
brought  back  again  ;  some  of  the  girls  swept 
the  floor  and  tables  by  which  they  stood ; 
talking  was  permitted  in  this  half-hour,  and 
such  a  Babel  as  the  tongues  of  forty  or  fifty 
girls  suddenly  unloosed  can  make  may  be  better 
imagined  than  described.  The  "  new  hand " 
took  advantage  of  the  interval  to  divest  herself 
of  her  cap  and  apron,  and  putting  on  her  hat, 


38  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

after  washing  her  hands  in  one  of  the  row  of 
basins  provided  for  the  purpose,  appeared 
as  neat  and  nice  for  her  homeward  walk  as  she 
had  done  in  the  morning  when  she  came. 

Such  was  not  the  case  with  most  of  the  girls, 
whose  fluffy,  disordered  appearance  as  they 
issued  from  the  rag-room  was  proverbial. 

At  precisely  twelve  o'clock  the  great  bells 
began  to  clang  and  the  steam-whistle  to  shriek, 
and  the  long  corridors  and  stairs  echoed  to  the 
tramp  of  many  feet  as  the  hundreds  of  men, 
women,  boys,  and  girls  rushed  down  and  out, 
and  scattered  in  every  direction  toward  the 
many  homes  where  dinner  was  awaiting  them. 

Eric  and  Alfred  met  their  sister  just  outside 
of  the  door,  and  the  three  were  soon  at  home, 
Katie  talking  so  much  and  so  fast  all  the  way, 
that  her  brothers,  as  they  said,  "could  hardly 
get  in  a  word  edgewise."  Many  of  the  mill 
operatives  carried  their  dinner  with  them  and 
spent  the  noon  hour  in  gossip  with  each  other, 
but  Mrs.  Robertson  was  careful  both  of  the 
bodies  and  souls  of  her  children.  She  knew 
that  the  former  would  be  much  more  vigorous 
if  every  day  they  had  a  warm,  comfortable, 


THE   FIRST  DAT.  39 

if  frugal,  meal  at  noontide,  and  thought  that 
the  latter  would  be  kept  pure  and  unsullied 
much  longer  if  not  exposed  to  the  kind  of  talk 
apt  to  pass  between  idle  men  and  women  of 
all  grades  and  associations  in  society.  So  ever 
since  they  first  went  into  the  bindery,  the  boys 
had  regularly  come  home  to  dinner,  and  were 
much  the  better,  not  only  for  it,  but  also  for 
the  quick  walk  in  the  open  fresh  air. 

Poor  Mrs.  Robertson  had  passed  a  lonely 
morning.  She  was  used  to  being  alone  while 
her  daughter  was  at  school,  but  that  was  differ 
ent  ;  she  had  conjured  up  all  sorts  of  dangers 
and  disagreeables  that  the  girl  might  have  to 
encounter,  and  she  rather  expected  to  see  her 
brought  in  on  a  board  bruised  and  maimed  from 
some  part  of  the  machinery  into  which  she  had 
fallen  or  been  entangled.  But  when  Katie 
came  rushing  in  like  a  whirlwind,  in  high 
spirits,  with  glowing  cheeks  and  a  splendid 
appetite,  which  yet  she  could  scarcely  take  time 
to  gratify,  so  full  was  she  of  enthusiastic  talk 
concerning  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  the  mill 
and  the  kindness  of  Mr.  James,  her  mother  felt 
rather  ashamed  of  her  forebodings. 


40  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

Never  had  a  dinner  tasted  so  nicely ;  never 
had  the  little  girl,  to  her  remembrance,  eaten  so 
much.  She  was  in  such  a  hurry  to  be  off  again, 
so  as  not  to  be  late,  that  the  boys  declared  she 
would  not  give  them  any  time  to  eat  at  all,  and 
again  predicted  that  in  a  month's  time  things 
would  not  be  so  rose-colored. 

In  the  afternoon  a  surprise  awaited  the  little 
factory-girl.  Hardly  had  work  recommenced 
as  the  silence  of  voices  and  the  noise  of 
machinery  followed  upon  the  long  steam- 
whistle,  than  Mr.  James  again  appeared,  fol 
lowed  by  another  "new  hand."  She  was  a 
tall,  stout  g;  1 ;  in  reality  just  about  Katie's 
age,  but  looking  several  years  older,  dressed  in 
a  light-blue  cashmere,  considerably  soiled  and 
frayed.  Her  hair,  which  was  "  banged  "  low  over 
her  forehead,  was  braided  in  a  long  tail  behind, 
and  tied  with  a  bunch  of  tumbled  red  ribbons, 
and  around  her  neck  was  a  chain  and  locket 
intended  to  resemble  gold.  The  girls  all  looked 
at  her  inappropriate  costume,  most  of  them  with 
envy  and  admiration,  a  few  with  pity  for  a  girl 
who  knew  no  better  than  to  come  to  factory 
work  in  so  very  unsuitable  a  dress,  and  Katie 


THE  FIRST  DAT.  41 

looked  up  in  some  surprise  to  find  that  the  new 
comer,  who  had  been  placed  next  to  her,  was 
her  old  school  companion,  Bertie  Sanderson. 

Miss  Peters  came  forward  pleasantly,  showed 
the  new  girl  how  to  do  her  work  just  as  she 
had  showed  Katie  in  the  morning,  and  glancing 
at  her  dress,  suggested  that  another  time  a 
similar  protection  to  that  of  her  companion 
would  be  advisable,  and  then  left  her  to 
herself. 

Scarcely  was  her  back  turned  than  Bertie, 
looking  round  the  room  with  great  disgust, 
turned  to  Katie  and  said :  — 

"  Is  n't  it  hateful  ?  Just  think  of  us  made  to 
work  among  factory-girls.  I  don't  see  what  my 
father  could  have  been  thinking  of  !  " 

Katie  made  no  answer,  but  pointed  to  Miss 
Peters,  and  then  to  the  rule  for  silence  which 
was  hung  up  conspicuously  on  the  wall. 

"  Nonsense  !"  said  Bertie,  "  that  don't  mean 
me.  I  'm  daughter  of  Mr  Sanderson,  the  over 
seer  of  the  bindery,  don't  you  know  ?  It 's 
kind  of  funny  that  I  should  be  in  the  rag-room 
among  all  the  common  girls,  anyhow ;  but 
father  said  I  'd  got  to  begin  work,  and  he 


42  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

guessed  what  would  n't  hurt  you  would  n't 
hurt  me.  But  for  the  thought  that  you  were 
here  I  wouldn't  have  come  at  all,  no  matter 
what  pa  said.  Ma  don't  think  it  genteel. 
I  don't  see  what  made  you  come ;  don't  you 
think  it's  disgusting?" 

"  No,"  said  Katie,  "  I  wanted  to  come,  and 
I  think  the  factory  is  magnificent ;  besides,  I 
want  the  money." 

"So  do  I,"  said  the  other,  "and  pa  said  I 
should  have  all  I  earn  till  there  's  enough  to  get 
a  silk  dress.  I  do  want  a  silk  dress  so,  don't 
you  ? " 

"No,"  said  Katie,  "I  don't  care;"  but  at 
this  moment  Miss  Peters  came  toward  them, 
saying,  — 

"No  talking,  girls;  you  are  new  hands,  or  I 
should  have  to  fine  you ;  every  time  a  girl 
speaks  it 's  a  penny  off  of  her  day's  wages,  but 
I  '11  let  you  off  this  time.  Bertie,  you  have  n't 
done  a  thing  yet." 

Katie  blushed,  for  though  she  had  not 
stopped  work  a  single  moment,  she  had  been 
tempted  by  her  companion  into  breaking  the 
rules;  but  Bertie  looked  up  insolently  at  the 


THE  FIRST  DAT.  43 

superintendent  as  she  slowly  took  up  some  of 
the  rags,  and  muttered  in  a  low  tone,  which  was 
heard  by  most  of  her  neighbors  :  — 

"Who  's  going  to  mind  you  ?  You  're  only  a 
servant-girl,  anyway ;"  for  Miss  Peters  had,  in 
her  early  life,  "lived  out." 

Whether  Miss  Peters  heard  or  not  Katie 
could  not  be  sure,  but  she  thought  she  saw  a 
heightened  color  in  the  young  woman's  face,  and 
was  just  going  to  ask  her  companion  how  she 
could  be  guilty  of  such  rudeness,  when  she 
remembered  the  rule  in  time,  checked  herself, 
and  put  her  finger  significantly  on  her  lips. 

As  to  Bertie,  she  stared  round  the  room,  work 
ing  a  little  now  and  then,  and  talking  aloud  to 
herself  as  she  could  get  no  one  to  talk  to  her. 
Miss  Peters  was  very  indignant ;  but  thought  it 
best  to  take  no  notice  just  yet ;  for,  as  the  girl 
had  said,  she  was  Mr.  Sanderson's  daughter,  and 
she  did  not  know  just  how  far  it  would  do  to 
enforce  rules  in  her  case. 

The  girls  in  the  rag-room  were  dismissed 
at  five  o'clock,  so,  as  the  bindery  did  not  close 
till  six,  Katie  did  not  have  the  company  of  her 
brothers  on  her  homeward  walk,  Bertie  taking 


44  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

their  place,  and  talking  all  the  way  about  the 
indignity  of  working  in  a  factory  and  the  hard 
ship  of  having  to  work  at  all.  She  told  about 
her  cousins  in  the  city,  who  were  quite  fine 
ladies,  according  to  Bertie's  account,  doing  noth 
ing  but  play  on  the  piano  and  do  fancy-work. 
They  were  coming  with  their  mother  to  make 
a  visit  in  the  summer,  and  how  ashamed 
she  should  be  to  appear  before  them  in  the 
character  of  a  paper-mill  girl.  The  girl  talked 
about  her  father  in  anything  but  a  respectful 
manner,  but  seemed  to  find  comfort  in  the 
thought  of  her  silk  dress.  She  had  never  had 
one  yet,  and  it  had  long  been  the  goal  of  her 
ambition.  What  color  did  Katie  think  would 
be  becoming  to  her  ?  How  would  she  have  it 
made  ?  how  trimmed  ? 

"I'll  tell  you  what,  Katie,"  she  said,  "let's 
take  our  money  when  we  get  it  and  get  silks 
exactly  alike ;  then  we  can  wear  them  to 
Sunday-school  together,  and  the  other  girls 
will  see  that  it  is  n't  so  mean  to  be  factory- 
girls  after  all.  Even  Miss  Mount  joy  herself 
can  wear  nothing  finer  than  silk,  if  she  does 
always  look  so  stuck  up." 


THE  FIRST  DAT.  45 

But  Katie  failed  to  be  infected  with  a  desire 
for  a  silk  dress.  She  had  never  worn  anything 
but  the  plainest  and  poorest  clothes,  though 
they  had  always  been  whole,  clean,  and  neatly 
made  ;  her  temptations  did  not  lie  in  that  line. 
She  had  insisted  on  beginning  to  work  in  order 
to  help  her  mother  support  the  family,  and  to 
make  it  a  little  easier  for  them  all  to  get  along. 
She  admired  pretty  things,  of  course,  as  all  girls 
do,  but  she  had  an  intuitive  feeling  that  Sunday- 
school  was  not  the  place  in  which  to  show  off 
fine  clothes.  Bertie's  chatter  did  not  please  her, 
and  though  they  were  old  friends,  or  rather  com 
panions,  having  been  to  both  school  and  Sunday- 
school  together  for  some  years,  she  was  glad 
when  they  parted  at  the  corner  house,  which 
had  once  been  the  doctor's,  and  she  could  go 
home  to  her  mother. 

For  the  little  girl  was  tired  by  this  time  ;  she 
had  got  up  much  earlier  than  usual  and  had  been 
on  her  feet  all  day,  and  besides  the  reaction  of 
so  much  excitement,  even  though  it  had  been  of 
a  pleasurable  nature,  was  calculated  to  produce 
depression.  Her  mother  was  out  when  she  got 
home,  and  there  was  nobody  to  welcome  her  but 


46  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

the  gray  cat,  which  did  so,  however,  with  the 
loudest  of  purrings,  and  the  lounge  in  the  warm 
room  looked  so  comfortable  that  the  tired 
little  worker  took  pussy  in  her  arms,  lay  down 
there,  and  began  to  think.  She  was  not  quite 
satisfied  with  her  "first  day."  The  factory  was 
quite  as  nice  as  she  had  expected,  and  Mr. 
James  was  nicer ;  but  had  she  remembered 
"in  <z//her  ways  to  acknowledge  God"  and  "to 
do  all  to  his  glory  "  ?  She  was  afraid  not ;  she 
had  broken  the  rules  once,  and  had  listened  to 
Bertie's  chatter,  while  a  desire  had  arisen  in  her 
heart,  not  for  a  silk  dress,  but  for  plenty  of 
money,  for  a  fine  home,  for  a  piano,  and  all  the 
things  that  some  girls  had,  and  she  had  been 
tempted  to  think  it  hard  that  some  people  should 
have  so  much  and  some  so  little.  Was  God 
quite  just  to  let  it  be  so  ? 

But,  as  she  lay  upon  the  lounge,  rested  by  its 
soft  cushions,  warmed  by  the  fire,  and  soothed 
by  the  purring  of  the  cat,  she  began  to  be 
ashamed  of  such  thoughts.  How  many  com 
forts,  how  much  happiness  God  had  given  her  ! 
A  nice  home,  a  loving  mother,  plenty  to  eat  and 
wear,  and  health  and  strength  to  earn  enough 
to  make  them  all  so  much  more  comfortable. 


THE   FIRST  DAT.  47 

She  knew  that  all  good  things  come  from  God, 
and  if  he  had  not  put  it  into  the  heart  of  Mr. 
Sanderson  to  speak  to  Mr.  Mountjoyfor  her,  she 
could  not  have  got  the  situation  in  the  mill.  The 
forty  cents  she  had  earned  to-day  was  directly 
God's  gift,  and  so  would  be  all  the  money  that 
ever  came  to  her  in  the  future.  She  ought  to 
be  a  very  thankful  little  girl,  and  she  was  quite 
ashamed  of  her  questionings.  So  she  dropped 
down  upon  her  knees  by  the  lounge,  and  asked 
God  to  forgive  her  for  the  sake  of  Jesus,  and 
lying  down  again  soon  fell  fast  asleep. 

When  she  awoke  it  was  dark ;  the  boys  had 
come  home ;  her  mother  had  come  in  so  quietly 
as  not  to  awaken  her  daughter,  tea  was  quite 
ready,  and  it  was  a  very  pleasant  scene  that  her 
eyes,  now  entirely  rested,  opened  upon,  and  a 
very  happy,  thankful  little  girl  came  to  the  table 
to  eat  the  nice  supper  which  awaited  her. 

After  tea  she  and  her  brothers  played  games 
for  some  time ;  then  Mrs.  Robertson  took  her 
mending-basket,  which  was  always  very  full,  and 
Katie  got  her  thimble  and  helped,  while  Eric 
read  aloud  from  a  book  of  "  Stories  from  His 
tory."  And  so  closed  the  first  day  of  Katie 
Robertson's  "factory  life," 


48  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 

|ISS  ETTA  MOUNTJOY  was  a  young 
lady  of  the  period.  She  was  the 
youngest  of  Mr.  Mountjoy's  children, 
and  the  baby  and  pet  of  all.  Her  mother  died 
when  she  was  about  five  years  old,  and  since 
then  she  had  always  done  exactly  as  she 
pleased ;  her  father  would  not  control  her, 
and  her  eldest  sister,  who  took  charge  of  the 
family  in  her  mother's  place,  could  not.  It  was 
well  that  the  girl  had  no  evil  tendencies  and 
was,  upon  the  whole,  well-principled,  warm 
hearted,  and  good-natured,  or  she  might  have 
gone  very  grievously  astray.  As  it  was,  she 
was  now  at  seventeen  a  bright  butterfly,  flitting 
from  one  to  another  of  the  flowers  of  life,  and 
sipping  as  much  honey  as  she  could  from  each. 
She  was  fond  of  all  sorts  of  bright,  pretty 
things,  handsome  clothes  and  jewelry  included. 
She  liked  to  sing  and  she  liked  to  dance,  to  go 
to  parties  when  there  were  any,  and  to  attend 


THE   SUNDAT-SCHOOL.  49 

concerts  and  theatres  when  she  went  to  town ; 
in  a  word,  she  was  fond  of  "  having  a  good 
time,"  as  Americans  express  it,  whenever  and 
wherever  she  could  get  a  chance. 

Nor  did  Miss  Etta  mind  work.  She  was  a  girl  of 
energy,  who  would  willingly  walk  miles  to  attend 
a  picnic  or  climb  a  mountain,  and  she  did  not 
hesitate  to  work  for  hours  on  a  trimming  for 
her  dress,  or  even  some  more  useful  piece  of 
sewing.  She  was  always  having  furores  for 
something  ;  at  one  time  it  was  gardening,  when 
she  coaxed  her  father  to  have  a  good-sized  piece 
of  ground  dug  up  and  laid  out  for  her,  and 
actually  raised,  not  flowers,  as  one  would  expect, 
but  quite  respectable  vegetables,  hoeing  the 
beans,  corn,  and  cabbages  herself,  and  weeding 
out  the  cucumbers,  lettuce,  and  radishes  with 
persistent  fidelity. 

At  another  time  she  had  a  poultry-mania, 
and  a  chicken -house  with  the  most  approved 
nests,  warming-apparatus,  etc.,  was  constructed 
for  the  little  lady,  and  here  she  daily  set  the 
hens,  fed  the  chickens,  and  collected  the  eggs, 
selling  them  to  her  father  at  exorbitant  prices. 
Again,  cooking  absorbed  her  time  and  gave 


50  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

occupation  to  her  energies;  and  the  family 
were  treated  to  strange  compounds  of  her  con 
cocting,  while  the  old  servant  who  reigned 
supreme  in  the  kitchen  was  in  the  depths  of 
despair  at  the  number  of  dishes  and  pans  she 
was  called  upon  to  clear  up,  the  waste  and 
breakage  that  went  on,  and  the  general  dis 
organization  of  her  lifelong  arrangements. 

Happily,  or  unhappily,  these  moods  never 
were  of  long  duration.  The  reading-mania 
lasted  just  long  enough  for  a  handsome  book 
case  to  be  stocked  with  histories,  biographies, 
etc. ;  a  few  volumes  of  poems  were  dipped  into, 
several  novels  read,  and  a  big  history  attacked, 
when  the  mood  changed  into  a  passion  for 
skating,  and  the  remainder  of  the  winter  was 
consumed  in  preparing  a  fancy  costume,  getting 
the  most  approved  club-skates,  and  learning  to 
keep  upright  upon  them  ;  but  by  the  time  so 
much  was  accomplished,  the  ice  broke  up  and 
Miss  Etta  was  obliged  to  find  some  other  occu 
pation.  Art  came  next  in  the  list  of  the  girl's 
absorbing  avocations.  A  studio  was  fitted  up, 
canvas  stretched  upon  easels,  pencils  sharpened, 
and  quite  a  creditable  beginning  made  upon 


THE  SUNDAT-SCHOOL.  51 

some  pictures  which  showed  considerable  native 
taste  and  ability. 

Just  now  Sunday-school  teaching  had  taken 
the  place  of  all  other  things,  and  Etta  Mount] oy 
devoted  the  energies  of  her  many-sided  nature 
to  her  class.  There  had  been  more  than  one 
person  opposed  to  entrusting  so  sacred  a  work 
to  so  light-minded  and  trivial  a  girl.  Her 
brother  James  considered  it  nothing  short  of 
sacrilege,  and  her  oldest  sister  Eunice  reasoned 
with  her  very  gravely,  and  tried  to  show  her 
that,  in  order  to  teach  the  truths  of  God,  one 
should  have  some  personal  knowledge  of  them, 
and  that  the  only  acceptable  motive  for  reli 
gious  work  was  a  sincere  desire  to  please  God 
and  benefit  the  souls  of  those  whom  Christ 
came  to  save.  But  Etta  was  not  accustomed  to 
be  guided  by  her  brother  and  sister ;  she  went 
to  her  father,  told  him  she  wanted  to  take  a 
class  in  Sunday-school,  and  of  course  he  said 
"  Yes."  Then  she  went  to  the  superintendent 
and  made  known  her  request,  saying  it  was  at 
her  father's  desire,  which,  as  he  was  book-keeper 
at  the  paper-mill,  would,  she  knew,  have  great 
weight. 


52  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

Mr.  Scoville  paused,  hesitated,  and  finally 
resolved  to  consult  the  pastor,  promising  Etta 
her  answer  before  Sunday  came  round.  He 
would  have  given  an  unqualified  refusal  had  the 
petitioner  been  any  one  else  than  his  employer's 
daughter. 

Mr.  Morven,  the  pastor,  however,  thought 
differently.  He  had  known  the  young  girl  ever 
since  she  was  a  very  little  one  ;  he  knew  there  was 
no  positive  evil  in  her,  and  though  he  had  not 
heretofore  suspected  her  of  any  serious  thought, 
he  looked  upon  her  request  as  an  indication  of 
good,  and  said  that  perhaps  the  very  familiarity 
with  sacred  things  which  teaching  a  Sunday- 
school  class  would  necessitate  might  be  as 
beneficial  to  the  teacher  as  to  the  scholars. 
So  Mr.  Scoville,  though  rather  against  his 
better  judgment,  sent  a  note  to  Miss  Etta 
granting  her  request,  having  in  his  mind  a  cer 
tain  class  of  little  ones  just  out  of  the  infant 
class,  the  teacher  of  which  had  announced  her 
intention  of  leaving  the  school.  When  he  went 
to  see  this  teacher,  however,  he  found  she  had 
changed  her  mind,  and  there  was  no  other  class 
available  except  one  composed  of  seven  "big 


THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  53 

girls,"  of  whom  Katie  Robertson  was  one.  Of 
course,  Mr.  Scoville  could  not  go  back  on  his 
word,  so  Miss  Etta  Mount  joy  was  formally 
installed  as  teacher  of  one  of  the  most  impor 
tant  classes  of  the  school. 

Most  of  the  girls  liked  her ;  some  were 
seized  with  a  violent  admiration,  if  not  of  her, 
of  her  beautiful  hats,  delicate  kid  gloves,  and 
all  the  et  cetera  which  go  to  make  up  the  toilet 
of  a  modern  young  lady.  Others  liked  her 
fresh,  frank  manner  and  sympathy  with  them 
and  their  interests.  Indeed,  she  was  so  nearly 
on  their  own  level  as  to  age  that  there  was  no 
room  for  condescension  on  this  account ;  while, 
as  to  position,  where  was  there  ever  an  Ameri 
can  girl  of  any  age  who  acknowledged  to  social 
inferiority  ?  Katie  alone  felt,  though  she  could 
hardly  explain  it,  the  want  of  something  in  her 
\iew  teacher  which  had  been  peculiarly  charac 
teristic  of  the  old  one,  who  was  a  plain,  elderly 
woman,  without  much  education,  —  namely, 
personal  love  and  devotion  to  the  Lord  Jesus, 
showing  itself  in  an  earnest  desire  that  her 
scholars  might  also  learn  to  love  and  serve  him. 
This  good  teacher's  prayers  had  been  answered, 


54  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

and  her  efforts  blessed,  in  Katie  Robertson's 
case,  and  hence  the  girl  knew  how  to  appreciate 
the  difference. 

In  some  ways,  however,  Etta  agreeably  dis 
appointed  all  their  expectations.  She  set  herself 
to  study  and  prepare  her  lessons  with  an  energy 
that  carried  all  before  it ;  consulted  commen 
taries,  studied  dates,  compared  contemporary 
history,  committed  to  memory  schedules,  and 
looked  out  illustrations,  all  of  which  she 
imparted  to  her  class  till  its  members  far  sur 
passed  all  the  others  in  the  school  in  their 
knowledge  of  scripture  geography  and  history 
and  biography.  They  could  give  complete  lists 
of  the  patriarchs,  the  judges,  the  kings  of 
Israel  and  Judah,  and  the  major  and  minor 
prophets ;  and  they  never  failed  with  the  dates 
of  the  deluge,  the  "call  of  Abraham,"  the 
Exodus,  the  Captivity,  and  all  the  periodic 
points  by  which  the  Bible  is  marked  and 
mapped  off  in  the  voluminous  Sunday-school 
literature  of  the  day.  As  to  distinctively 
religious  teachings,  every  scholar  had  the  cate 
chism  verbatim,  ready  to  recite  at  a  moment's 
notice,  and  a  failure  in  the  "golden  text"  was 


THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  55 

unknown.  To  be  sure,  other  teachers  in  her 
vicinity,  whose  classes  failed  to  win  the  unquali 
fied  praise  accorded  to  hers,  did  say  that  Miss 
Etta  never  failed  to  prompt  her  scholars  if  there 
seemed  to  be  any  hesitation ;  but  perhaps  that 
was  due  to  a  tinge  of  jealousy  in  consequence 
of  all  the  prizes  given  at  a  quarterly  examina 
tion,  including  one  for  the  teacher,  having  been 
won  by  this  "banner  class." 

All  this  was  very  well  in  its  way.  There  is 
certainly  no  harm  in  knowing  all  we  can  about 
the  Bible  ;  it  helps  us  to  understand  and  appreci 
ate  it,  and  to  answer  the  objections  which  foolish 
infidels  are  constantly  bringing  against  it ;  but 
the  girls,  especially  Katie,  missed  the  pointed 
application ;  the  showing  how  every  wrong 
thing  is  sin  ;  how  sin  must  be  punished ;  how 
Jesus  has  borne  the  punishment,  and  so  is  ready 
and  willing  to  forgive  the  sin  ;  how  he  loves  all 
men,  even  though  they  are  sinners,  and  is  ready 
to  give  them  strength  to  resist  temptation  and 
conquer  sin,  if  they  will  diligently  seek  the  aid 
of  his  Holy  Spirit  —  in  Bible  words,  to  make 
them  "whiter  than  snow."  These  are  the  true 
themes  of  Sunday-school  teaching ;  the  one  end 


56  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

to  be  aimed  at  is  so  to  bring  up  the  children 
in  the  "nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord," 
as  that  when  they  come  to  years  of  discretion 
they  shall  gladly  confess  him  as  their  Master, 
and  become  noble,  intelligent,  active  Christian 
men  and  women.  Lacking  this,  all  outside 
things  are,  as  the  apostle  says,  "  sounding  brass 
and  a  tinkling  cymbal." 

The  only  positive  harm  which  Miss  Etta  did 
to  her  class  was  to  foster  in  some  of  the  girls 
a  great  admiration  for  dress  and  an  ardent 
desire  to  imitate  their  teacher  in  this  respect. 
Since  the  days  of  Eve  a  taste  for  dress  has 
always  been  an  inherent  part  of  a  girl's  constitu 
tion,  and  is  apt  to  become  one  of  her  greatest 
temptations,  especially  if  she  be  a  poor  girl,  as 
were  most  of  these,  and  must  procure  cheap 
imitations  of  finery ;  or,  if  even  these  are 
beyond  their  reach,  indulge  in  discontented 
repinings,  which  are  really  rebellion  against 
God. 

Squantown  Sunday-school  was  a  very  pleasant 
one.  Quite  unlike  the  usual  oblong  wooden 
building,  which  in  many  country  places  serves 
for  a  secular  school  during  the  week  and  a 


THE   SUNDAY-SCHOOL.  57 

Sunday-school  on  Sunday,  it  was  a  pretty  gothic 
brick  building,  handsomely  fitted  up  with  fold 
ing-seats,  a  reed  organ,  and  an  uncommonly 
good  library.  A  nice  carpet  was  upon  the  floor, 
and  pretty  illuminated  texts  painted  upon  the 
walls ;  the  windows  were  narrow  and  pointed, 
with  little  diamond-shaped  panes,  and  when 
opened  gave  a  near  view  of  the  minister's 
garden  full  of  bright-hued  flowers,  and  a  more 
distant  one  of  softly  outlined  blue  mountains, 
whose  tops,  capped  in  summer  with  snowy 
clouds  and  in  winter  with  veritable  snow, 
formed  apt  illustrations  to  thoughtful  teachers 
of  the  "  mountains  that  stand  round  about  Jeru 
salem,"  and  symbolized  the  protecting  love  and 
care  of  the  Lord  for  his  people. 

The  beautiful  Sunday-school  building  was 
largely  due  to  the  efforts  of  Mr.  James,  who 
had  his  father's  well-filled  purse  to  draw  from ; 
and  he  had  interested  himself  in  getting  the 
scholars  together,  as  well  as  in  introducing 
among  them  all  modern  improvements.  He 
was  greatly  interested  in  his  class  of  big 
boys,  over  whom  his  influence  was  most  bene 
ficial.  Nearly  all  of  them  had  already  confessed 


58  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

Christ,  'and  were  mostly  manly  Christians, 
exercising  a  good  influence  upon  the  other 
boys  in  the  mill  or  bindery,  to  which  they,  as 
well  as  nearly  all  the  members  of  the  school, 
belonged. 

Miss  Eunice  Mountjoy  was  also  engaged  in 
the  Sunday-school,  having  charge  of  the  Bible- 
class,  which  contained  all  the  oldest  scholars, 
some  of  them  quite  young  men  and  women. 
She  was  a  very  different  sort  of  person  from  her 
youngest  sister.  Fully  twelve  years  her  senior, 
she  looked  and  seemed  much  older  than  she 
really  was,  and  no  one  had  for  years  thought  of 
calling  her  a  "  girl,"  although  now  she  was  only 
twenty-nine.  When  she  was  quite  a  girl  her 
mother  had  died,  leaving  her  with  the  care  of 
all  her  sisters  and  her  brother,  to  whom  she 
had,  indeed,  done  a  mother's  part.  Her  chief 
aim  in  life  had  always  been  to  "  do  all  to  the 
glory  of  God,"  and  to  her  Bible-class  she  gave 
her  most  earnest  efforts  and  her  warmest 
prayers.  Her  influence  was  great  at  home,  in 
the  mill,  and  throughout  the  town  of  Squantown, 
though,  as  far  as  possible,  she  obeyed  the 
scripture  injunction  not  to  let  her  left  hand 


THE  SUNDAT-SCHOOL.  59 

know  what  her  right  hand  was  doing.  She 
always  invited  the  female  members  of  her  class 
to  take  tea  with  her  every  Wednesday  night ; 
the  boys  and  young  men  being  expected  to 
come  afterward,  remain  a  little  while,  and  then 
escort  their  sisters,  cousins,  and  friends  home. 
These  little  meetings  were  very  pleasant; 
sometimes  pretty  fancy-work  —  to  be  sold  for 
the  benefit  of  the  class  missionary  fund  —  was 
done ;  sometimes  clothes  were  cut  out  and 
made  for  some  of  the  poorer  factory  children, 
or  some  fatherless  baby,  while  Miss  Eunice 
read  aloud  some  interesting  book  ;  sometimes 
when  the  topics  suggested  by  last  Sunday's 
lesson  had  proved  too  voluminous  for  the  time 
of  the  session,  they  were  taken  up  and  dis 
cussed  on  Wednesday ;  sometimes  difficult 
points  in  next  week's  lesson  were  anticipated. 
In  this  way  the  teacher  became  really 
acquainted  with  the  members  of  her  class, 
their  dispositions,  temptations,  and  interests; 
she  gained  their  confidence,  and  was  often  able 
to  advise  and  assist  them  in  many  ways,  and 
they  learned  to  look  upon  her  as  a  friend  to 
whom  they  might  apply  in  time  of  need.  And, 


60  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

as  a  secondary  benefit,  the  girls  learned  a  great 
deal  in  the  way  of  cutting  out,  basting,  and 
other  mysteries  of  needlework  calculated  to 
prove  very  useful  to  them  in  their  future 
capacity  of  wives  and  mothers. 

Eunice  had  often  wished  that  the  same  plan 
could  be  pursued  in  the  other  elder  classes ; 
but  their  teachers,  who  were  mostly  employed 
in  some  capacity  in  the  mill,  could  hardly  spare 
the  time,  and  Etta  certainly  was  not  fitted  for 
the  work.  As  an  experiment,  however,  on  the 
first  Sunday  after  Katie  entered  the  mill  she 
came  over  to  her  sister's  class  and  invited  all 
the  girls,  or  as  many  as  chose  to  do  so,  to  join 
hers  on  Wednesday  afternoon  next,  saying  she 
had  something  of  interest  and  importance  to 
talk  about.  As  the  invitation  was  one  that 
seemed  to  place  those  to  whom  it  was  given  in 
the  rank  of  grown-up  girls,  it  was  at  once  gladly 
accepted,  especially  as  most  of  the  girls  had 
never  been  inside  of  Mr.  Mountjoy's  house  and 
grounds,  and  would  gladly  see  the  luxury  of 
which  they  had  heard  so  much. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  talk  after  the 
close  of  the  session  about  the  invitation  and 


THE  SUNDAT-SCHOOL,  6 1 

the  proposed  meeting,  and  some  curiosity  was 
expressed  as  to  the  "  important  thing "  Miss 
Eunice  was  to  talk  about.  One  or  two  of  the 
girls  said  they  were  sorry  they  had  accepted 
the  invitation ;  they  did  n't  like  "  to  have 
religion  poked  at  them  "  ;  they  guessed  they 
would  n't  go.  Before  the  appointed  day,  how 
ever,  curiosity  got  the  better  of  these  faint 
hearted  ones,  and  not  a  girl  of  Etta's  class 
was  wanting  when  the  time  arrived. 


62  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE   TEA-PARTY. 

IT  exactly  six  o'clock  some  twenty 
young  girls  of  various  ages  assembled 
at  "the  great  house,"  as  Mr.  Mount- 
joy's  grand  mansion  was  called  in  the  village. 
They  could  not  come  earlier,  as  most  of  them 
worked  in  the  mill,  which  they  could  not  leave 
till  five  or  half-past  five ;  consequently  they  all 
arrived  at  about  the  same  time.  They  were 
received  with  perfect  politeness  by  the  servant, 
who  opened  the  door  and  ushered  them,  as  she 
would  have  done  any  other  visitors,  into  the 
spare-room,  prettily  furnished  in  blue  and  white 
satin,  with  white  lace  hangings  and  silver  orna 
ments.  Here  they  laid  aside  their  hats,  and 
taking  their  little  work-baskets,  descended  to 
the  great  drawing-room,  whose  splendors  con 
siderably  surprised  the  younger  girls  ;  the  older 
ones  were  used  to  it.  At  the  door  Miss  Eunice 
with  Etta,  the  latter  arrayed  in  a  wonderful 
costume,  met  and  received  their  guests,  and 


THE   TEA-PART T.  63 

after  lingering  for  a  while  among  the  paintings, 
engravings,  nicknacks,  etc.,  led  them  to  an 
inner  room,  the  windows  of  which  overlooked 
the  garden  in  summer,  and  a  door  from  which 
opened  into  a  greenhouse,  now  full  of  blooming 
flowers. 

This  was  the  family  sitting-room,  generally 
the  abode  of  Miss  Eunice,  for  Etta  was  too 
much  of  a  butterfly  to  stay  anywhere,  and 
Rhoda,  the  middle  sister,  now  about  twenty, 
was  an  artist,  entirely  devoted  to  painting, 
spending  her  days  and  a  great  part  of  her 
nights  in  her  studio,  and  caring  nothing  for  any 
of  the  interests  connected  with  our  story.  It 
was  luxuriously  furnished,  more  with  a  view  to 
comfort  than  to  show,  and  as  the  girls  sank 
into  the  easy  sofas  or  into  the  deep  stuffed 
chairs,  or  else  made  themselves  comfortable 
upon  low  seats  and  divans,  the  contrast  with 
their  own  bare  homes  and  hardworking  life 
was  enough  to  call  forth  many  a  sigh  of  rest  and 
enjoyment.  Work  was  then  produced,  the  usual 
inquiries  after  parents  and  sisters,  invalids  and 
home-keepers  asked  and  answered,  with  a  little 
other  familiar  conversation,  when  Miss  Eunice 


64  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 

said :  "  I  think,  girls,  as  we  have  finished  the 
book  upon  which  we  have  been  so  long  engaged, 
we  will  not  commence  another  to-day,  but 
devote  our  thoughts  to  a  subject  about  which 
I  have  been  thinking  a  great  deal,  and  which 
your  pastor  agrees  with  me  in  thinking  of  very 
great  importance  to  be  brought  before  you.  I 
mean  a  public  confession  of  Christ  as  your 
Saviour  and  Master." 

Some  of  the  girls  looked  grave,  some  blushed, 
some  were  confused.  Katie  Robertson  glanced 
up  expectantly,  for  this  was  an  opportunity  she 
had  long  been  on  the  lookout  for,  and  longed 
to  hear  more  about  it.  One  of  the  elder  girls 
said :  — 

"But,  Miss  Eunice,  nobody  ought  to  join  the 
church  who  is  not  converted." 

"That  is  very  true,  but  is  it  not  equally  true 
that  all  who  are  converted  ought  to  join  the 
church,  as  you  express  it,  or,  as  I  prefer  to  say, 
confess  their  Saviour  ?  It  is  only  a  mean  soul 
which  is  willing  to  accept  gifts  and  favors  and 
never  openly  acknowledge  its  gratitude  for 
them.  I  would  n't  care  for  the  friendship  of 
any  one  who  was  ashamed  to  own  me  before 


THE    TEA-PART  T.  65 

other  people ;  and  I  would  n't  think  much  of 
a  soldier  who  did  not  show  his  colors  and  put 
on  the  uniform  of  his  country." 

Katie  felt  her  face  flush ;  for  was  she  not  one 
of  these  very  secret  friends  —  one  of  the  soldiers 
who  had  not  as  yet  put  on  the  uniform  ?  Not 
that  she  had  really  been  ashamed  to  do  so,  but 
the  subject  had  not  been  very  prominently 
brought  to  her  notice,  and  when  she  had 
thought  of  it  at  all  it  had  seemed  such  a 
strange,  awful,  public  step  for  so  young  a  girl 
to  take.  She  felt  so  unworthy;  it  seemed  a, 
thing  for  old  people  to  do,  not  for  little  girls. 
But  Miss  Eunice  had  thrown  a  new  light  upon 
the  subject,  and  it  looked  differently  from  what 
it  had  ever  looked  before. 

"  But  if  we  are  not  Christians,  Miss  Eunice, 
you  wouldn't  like  us  to  act  a  lie." 

"  God  forbid,  Mary ;  did  you  ever  think  that 
you  ought  to  be  a  Christian  ?  —  ought  to  be  in 
that  state  which  will  make  it  possible  for  you 
to  obey  the  simple  command  of  Christ  to  con 
fess  him  before  men  ?  " 

"  A  command,  Miss  Eunice  ? " 

"  Yes,  a    command    accompanied    by   both  a 


66  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

promise  and  a  threat.  '  Whosoever  shall  confess 
me  before  men,  him  will  I  confess  also  before 
my  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  but  whosoever 
shall  deny  me  before  men,  him  will  I  also  deny 
before  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.'" 

"But  still,"  persisted  the  first  speaker,  "if 
one  isn't  converted." 

"And  what  is  to  prevent  one's  being  con 
verted.  Don't  you  think  God  is  willing  to  give 
you  grace  sufficient  to  enable  you  to  do  and  be 
all  that  he  commands  you  ?  The  greatest  mis 
take  young  people  can  make  is  to  suppose  that 
they  must  wait,  and  not  take  the  first  step 
toward  a  religious  life  till  something  mysterious 
comes  to  them  and  lifts  them  into  it  almost 
against  their  own  will." 

"  Not  against  our  own  wills ;  I  am  sure  every 
body  wants  to  be  saved." 

"  Yes,  dear,  against  their  own  will,  for  if  any 
one  wills  to  be  a  Christian,  she  can  be  one  at 
once.  I  must  insist  upon  it,  because  it  is  our 
Saviour's  own  teachings.  He  says  :  '  Ye  will  not 
come  unto  me  that  ye  might  have  life';  and  so 
I  am  sure  that  if  any  one  does  not  have  life, 
spiritual  life,  it  is  because  she  will  not  come 
unto  him," 


THE    TEA-PARTT.  6/ 

"I'd  like  to  come,"  said  one  girl,  timidly, 
"but  I  don't  see  exactly  how." 

"  I  dare  say  most  of  you  would.  Mr.  Morven 
and  I  have  been  talking  it  over.  He  feels  that 
the  time  for  a  spiritual  harvest  among  our 
people,  especially  among  our  carefully  taught 
Sunday  scholars,  has  about  come,  and  he  thinks 
that,  with  a  little  more  definite  help  and  teach 
ing,  many  of  you  would  be  glad  to  come  to 
Jesus,  and  be  enrolled  as  his  followers  now, 
instead  of  waiting  for  that  indefinite  sometime 
which  may  never  come.  I  have  a  book  here 
which,  in  words  so  simple  that  the  youngest  girl 
here  can  understand,  explains  how  we  may 
come  to  Christ  by  repentance  and  faith  in  his 
sacrifice  upon  the  cross,  etc.  It  is  pleasantly 
written  and  illustrated  with  anecdotes.  I  think 
you  will  all  like  it,  and  I  propose  to  read  a  little 
of  it  aloud  every  Wednesday  afternoon  for  the 
next  month,  and  at  the  close  of  the  reading  we 
will  have  a  little  familiar  conversation  on  this, 
the  most  important  of  all  topics.  As  most  of 
the  girls  in  my  sister's  class  are  of  quite  suffi 
cient  age  to  understand  what  it  means  to  be 
a  Christian  and  honestly  to  consider  their  own 


68  KATIE  ROBERTSON, 

duty  in  this  respect,  I  shall  be  very  happy  to 
see  them  also,  and  any  others  of  their  friends, 
either  in  the  Sunday-school  or  from  outside. 
Girls,  this  is  a  very  important  subject,  and  I 
trust  you  will  think  of  it  conscientiously  and 
decide  upon  your  own  individual  duty  as  in  the 
sight  of  God.  If  you  fail  to  make  a  right  use 
of  this  season,  another  similar  opportunity  may 
never  be  given  you.  Let  us  commence  by 
asking  God's  blessing  upon  our  reading  and 
thinking,  and  the  presence  of  that  Holy  Spirit 
without  whose  aid  we  can  never  come  to  any 
decision  that  will  be  pleasing  to  him." 

Miss  Eunice  then  knelt  down  while  all  the 
girls  knelt  around  her,  and  prayed  in  low  tones 
that  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  might  be 
poured  out  upon  all  present ;  that  they  might 
have  wisdom  to  see  their  duty  at  this  solemn 
moment  and  grace  to  do  it ;  that  they  might 
not  be  self-deceived,  but  really  surrender  their 
hearts  into  the  hands  of  their  Saviour,  and, 
putting  their  whole  trust  in  him,  be  willing  to 
confess  him  before  men,  that  he  might  con 
fess  them  before  the  angels  and  his  Father. 

Some  serious  talk  followed,  and  then  tea  was 


THE    TEA-PAR TT.  69 

announced,  after  which  the  conversation  became 
general,  and  at  nine  o'clock  the  girls  and  their 
brothers  and  friends,  who  had  come  for  them, 
went  home  quietly,  and  for  the  most  part 
wrapped  in  serious  thought. 

Etta  Mount  joy  had  never  felt  so  strangely  in 
her  life.  She  had  always  known  that  some 
people  were  professing  Christians  ;  nay,  she 
had,  during  her  visits  to  the  city,  and  even  at 
home,  seen  people,  even  young  girls,  come  for 
ward  and  take  upon  themselves  the  vows  of 
Christ.  Perhaps  it  may  have  occurred  to  her 
that  "sometime"  she  should  do  so,  but  to  be 
deliberately  called  upon  to  consider  her  own 
immediate  duty  in  the  matter  had  not  happened 
to  her  before.  Once  or  twice,  indeed,  when 
she  was  much  younger,  "  Sister  Eunice "  or 
"  Brother  James "  had  attempted  to  speak  to 
her  upoa  the  subject,  but  she  always  turned 
away  from  it  in  such  a  flippant  way  that  both 
felt  she  was  in  no  proper  frame  for  the  con 
sideration  of  so  solemn  a  theme,  and  of  late 
they  had  foreborne  to  mention  it.  It  was  with 
a  view,  perhaps,  of  interesting  her  sister  quite 
as  much  as  her  sister's  scholars  that  Eunice 


70  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

had  invited  them  upon  the  present  occasion, 
knowing  that  the  young  girl's  lively  interest  in 
her  class  would  induce  her  to  be  present  if  its 
members  were,  and  to  her  great  joy  and  thank 
fulness  she  was  not  disappointed.  Etta  had 
never  heard  her  sister  pray  before,  though  the 
Wednesday  afternoon  meetings  were  often  thus 
opened,  and  it  seemed  to  her  something  almost 
awful  to  hear  the  language  which  she  had 
always  associated  with  a  grave  minister  and 
a  solemn  church  service  spoken  reverently,  it 
is  true,  but  quite  familiarly,  by  her  sister. 

Then,  too,  the  question  with  which  the  read 
ing  closed :  "  Will  you  now  thus  confess 
Christ  ?  "  How  could  she  answer  it  ?  Was  she 
in  a  fit  state  for  so  solemn  an  action,  she,  a 
butterfly  flitting  from  one  avocation  to  another, 
with  no  thought  or  aim  beyond  pleasing  herself  ? 
She  knew  she  was  not.  She  had  given  up  the 
child-habit  of  "  saying  her  prayers,"  and  she 
had  never  learned  really  to  pray.  Until  she 
took  that  class  she  had  not,  for  some  years, 
voluntarily  opened  her  Bible,  and  now  she  knew 
that  all  her  energetic  study  of  the  technicalities 
of  the  Holy  Word  had  in  it  no  grain  of  desire 


THE   TEA-PAR TT.  JI 

to  please  or  glorify  God.  Even  her  devotion  to 
Sunday-school  teaching,  usually  supposed  to  be 
Christian  work,  had  in  it  no  leaven  of  Chris 
tianity,  being  only  self-pleasing  from  end  to  end. 
Etta  was  sufficiently  clear-sighted  to  see  all 
this.  She  knew  that  she  never  thought  of 
God.  His  approval  or  disapproval  was  all  one 
to  her,  and  while  she  had  never  denied  or 
openly  scoffed  at  religion,  and  had  no  reason  to 
doubt  the  truths  of  its  facts  and  doctrines,  she 
was,  so  far  as  anything  practical  went,  not  a 
Christian  at  all.  What  had  she  to  "  confess  "  ? 
And  yet,  how  strange  it  would  seem  if  some 
of  those  to  whom  she  stood  in  the  position 
of  teacher,  who  of  necessity  looked  up  to  and 
imitated  her,  should  become  Christians  and 
church  members,  when  she  had  never  taken  the 
same  stand.  Stranger  still,  and  worse,  if  they 
should  be  deterred  from  what  seemed  to  them 
a  duty  by  the  example  of  their  Sunday-school 
teacher.  Etta  had  never  been  placed  in  such 
a  dilemma  before,  and  she  heartily  wished 
either  that  her  sister  had  not  invited  her  class, 
or  that  the  class  had  not  accepted  the  invita 
tion,  and  that  the  girls  would  never  come  again, 


7  2  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

and  yet  she  hardly  liked  to  advise  them  not  to 
do  so. 

"I  don't  like  that  kind  of  a  party  at  all," 
said  Bertie  Sanderson,  when  the  group  of 
younger  girls  were  well  out  of  hearing  of  the 
house.  "She  just  got  us  there  under  false 
pretences,  calling  it  fun  and  turning  it  into 
a  sort  of  church.  We  get  prayers  enough,  in 
all  conscience,  on  Sundays." 

"  I  'd  rather  have  Miss  Etta  talk  to  us  about 
the  patriarchs  and  the  stories  and  all  that," 
said  Matilda  Eckart,  who  was  a  good  scholar, 
or  would  have  been  if  she  had  not,  by  the 
necessities  of  her  family,  been  forced  to  work 
in  the  mill.  "  I  like  to  learn  things  ;  still  I 
like  Miss  Eunice,  too.  She 's  real  sweet,  and 
maybe  we  ought  to  do  as  she  says." 

"  Nonsense  !  "  said  another  girl,  Helen  Felting 
by  name,  "  Miss  Etta  is  n't  a  Christian,  and 
she  's  her  own  sister  and  three  or  four  years 
older  than  we  are.  I  don't  want  to  be  any 
better  than  she  is.  My,  ain't  her  dress  lovely, 
all  silk  and  velvet,  and  such  an  exquisite  shade ! 
fits  so,  too,  just  as  if  it  was  her  skin !  " 

"  Did  you  see  her  ear-rings  ? "  said  another. 


THE  'TEA-PAR'*  T.  73 

"  Real  diamonds,  all  set  round  with  pearls,  and 
such  a  chain  and  locket !" 

"  I  don't  care,"  said  Bertie ;  meaning,  of 
course,  that  she  did  care  very  much.  "  We  girls 
have  n't  got  so  much  money  and  we  can't  have 
real  things.  I  like  my  chain  and  locket  just  as 
well  (which  she  did  n't,  for  she  was  quite  keen 
enough  to  understand  the  difference),  but  I 
won't  go  there  again  till  I  get  my  silk  dress 
made ; "  and  she  glanced  disgustedly  at  the 
light-blue  cashmere  which,  as  it  was  her  best 
dress,  she  chose  to  wear  on  all  occasions, 
and  which  looked  already  much  the  worse  for 
its  week  in  the  rag-room  at  the  mill. 

Katie  Robertson  did  not  speak  at  all,  except 
to  answer  the  questions  of  Eric,  who  had  come 
for  her,  as  to  whether  she  had  had  a  pleasant 
time  decidedly  in  the  affirmative.  She  was 
thinking  very  deeply.  We  have  seen  that  our 
Katie  was  a  faithful,  conscientious  little  girl, 
loving  God  sincerely,  trusting  in  her  Saviour, 
and  striving  to  please  him  and  grow  like  him. 
She  loved  to  study  the  Bible,  which  she  knew 
was  his  word,  and  to  pray  to  him  in  her  own 
simple  language  every  night  and  morning ;  nay, 


j  A  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

often  at  other  times  when  she  felt  the  need  of 
his  help,  or  had  something  she  wanted  to  tell 
him  about.  She  had  not  asked  herself  any  hard 
questions  yet  about  whether  she  were  a  Christian 
or  not.  She  knew  she  was  her  mother's  Katie 
because  she  loved  her  mother  and  wanted  to 
please  her,  and  she  knew  she  was  God's  child 
because  she  loved  him  and  wanted  to  please 
him.  She  often  did  things,  and  said  things, 
and  thought  things  that  she  knew  were  dis 
pleasing  to  both,  but  she  did  not  want  to  do  so. 
She  was  always  very  sorry,  she  always  asked  to 
be  forgiven  and  believed  she  was,  for  did  not 
her  mother  say  so  each  time,  and  had  not  her 
heavenly  Father  promised  so  once  for  all  in  the 
Bible  ? 

But  this  afternoon  the  thought  had  really 
come  to  her  that  she  ought  publicly  to  confess 
herself  a  Christian  ;  and  yet  she  shrank  from  it, 
she  hardly  knew  why.  She  was  afraid  she 
might  afterward  do  something  which  would 
disgrace  such  a  holy  profession  ;  and  yet,  if  her 
Saviour  commanded  it,  as  he  certainly  did,  that 
made  it  a  duty,  and,  of  course,  she  ought  to 
obey,  trusting  him  to  help  her  keep  all  the 


THE    TRA-PARTT.  75 

promises  as  he  had  promised  to  do.  He  would 
like  it,  too,  so  much  ;  it  would  be  easier  after 
ward  to  resist  temptation  and  to  "  stand  up  for 
Jesus  "  among  her  companions. 

Katie's  thoughts  were  very  busy  ones,  and 
by  the  time  she  came  in  sight  of  her  home  she 
had  decided  that,  if  her  mother  and  the  pastor 
had  no  objection,  she  would  give  in  her  name 
among  those  who  were,  at  the  first  opportunity, 
to  confess  Christ. 

The  Wednesday  afternoon  meetings  were 
continued  throughout  the  spring  and  early 
summer,  and  were  attended  by  all  the  mem 
bers  of  Miss  Eunice's  class,  nearly  all  those 
of  her  sister's,  and  five  or  six  other  girls  who 
accepted  the  kind  invitation  of  the  former. 
There  was  always  the  same  hospitality,  always 
the  same  warm  welcome,  and  always  the  same 
grave  but  happy  earnestness  on  the  part  of  the 
young  lady  on  whom  God  had  laid  this  great 
work.  As  the  warm  days  came  on,  the  meet 
ings  were  adjourned  to  the  velvety,  close- 
shaven  lawn,  where  chairs  and  rustic  seats 
were  clustered  under  the  shade  of  a  great, 
wide-spreading  tree,  and  the  sweet,  holy 


76  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

themes  of  reading  and  conversation  seemed  1 
all  the  sweeter  that  they  were  henceforth  I 
associated  with  blue  sky,  bright  flowers,  white  I 
clouds,  green  leaves,  and  the  other  things  made  1 
by  the  God  who  was  even  now  calling  these  I 
young  hearts  into  his  service. 

Miss  Eunice  went  through  with  a  pretty  1 
thorough  course  of  reading  upon  sin,  repent-  ] 
ance,  faith  in  Christ,  renunciation  of  all  evil,  i 
walking  obediently  in  God's  holy  will  and  j 
commandments,  which  is  another  name  for  holy  \ 
living,  and  as  she  prayed  constantly  for  God's  1 
blessing  upon  her  efforts,  she  had  great  cause  1 
for  thankfulness  in  the  hope  that  many  of  these  j 
young  souls  thus  brought,  for  the  first  time,  ] 
face  to  face  with  their  personal  responsibility  j 
toward  God,  and  his  loving  provision  for  their  I 
salvation,  really  chose  the  "  better  part,"  which  ; 
no  man  can  take  away  from  us,  —  "  passed  from 
death  unto  life,"  and  in  publicly  confessing 
Christ  made  no  false  profession. 


A  DISCOVERY. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A  DISCOVERY. 

EANWHILE  work  in  the  mill  was 
becoming  an  old  story  and,  as  such, 
decidedly  monotonous.  The  glamour 
had  passed  by,  and  Squantown  Paper  Mill  had 
ceased  to  be  an  enchanted  palace  and  become 
a  prosaic  place  of  daily  toil.  Such  disenchant- 
ments  are  always  more  or  less  painful,  and 
Katie's  high  spirits  declined  proportionally.  It 
was  well  that  principles  of  self-support, 
independence,  and  duty  to  God,  underlay  her 
enthusiasm,  or  it  would  soon  have  died  away, 
being  choked  to  death  by  the  dust  from  the 
rags. 

The  little  pile  of  money  that  was  ready 
to  be  carried  home  every  Saturday  night  at  first 
did  a  great  deal  toward  rekindling  the  old 
enthusiasm.  The  first  week  it  was  only  two 
dollars  and  forty  cents,  but  on  the  second  it  had 
risen  to  three  dollars,  fifty  cents  a  day  being  the 
regular  price  paid  to  the  "rag-room  girls." 


78  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

By  this  time  the  "  new  hand  "  was 
no  longer,  and  she  had  learned  to  work  so  fasl 
as  to  accomplish  the  amount  usually  dom 
in  a  day  in  a  much  shorter  time,  and  ther 
Miss  Peters  told  her  she  might  go  home. 

Mr.  Mount] oy,  or  rather  "  Mr.  James,"  upor 
whom  all  arrangements  concerning  the  work 
people  devolved,  was  not  one  of  those  employer' 
who  consider  that  they  have  bought  all  .the  tim< 
of  their  employees.  He  had  a  right  to  a  fail 
day's  work  in  return  for  a  fair  day's  wages 
but  if  any  one  was  industrious  enough  to  d( 
more  than  this,  the  time  thus  gained  was  hi! 
own  to  use  as  he  liked.  Many  of  the  elde: 
workers  did  use  it  in  the  mill,  receiving  extn 
pay  for  extra  work,  when,  as  sometime? 
happened,  there  was  extra  work  to  be  done 
Some  of  her  companions  made  as  much  as 
a  dollar  a  day  in  this  way.  But  Mrs.  Robertsor 
was  gifted  with  good  sense,  and  knew  that  he] 
child's  young  strength  must  not  be  overtaxec 
and  thus  the  development  of  the  future  womar 
be  stunted.  So  Katie  came  home  generall) 
about  four  o'clock,  and  had  plenty  of  time 
to  rest,  to  help  her  mother  about  the  house 


A    DISCOVERT.  79 

to  keep  up  some  of  her  old  school  studies,  and 
to  read  the  very  valuable  and  interesting  books 
of  which  the  Sunday-school  library  was  com 
posed.  Her  mother  took  her  money  and  kept 
it  for  her,  hoping  thus  to  have  enough  for  the 
summer  outfit  she  would  so  soon  need.  The 
child  would  gladly  have  done  extra  work 
in  order  to  make  extra  money,  she  knew  so 
well  how  much  it  was  needed,  but  her  mother 
was  inexorable,  and  she  was  forced  to  submit. 

As  to  Bertie,  she  never  finished  her  day's 
work  at  all.  Her  time  was  largely  spent  in 
looking  out  of  window,  studying  the  dresses 
and  ribbons  of  the  other  girls,  making  signs  to 
her  companions,  and  whispering  to  her  neighbor 
whenever  Miss  Peters's  back  was  turned.  She 
hated  her  work  and  would  have  given  it  up 
long  ago,  at  least  as  soon  as  the  silk  dress  had 
been  procured,  and  her  mother  would  have 
very  injudiciously  purchased  it  long  before 
the  money  had  been  earned,  but  that  her  father 
was  resolute.  The  mill  would  have  dispensed 
with  her  society  as  soon  as  her  idleness  and 
inefficiency  were  seen,  except  that  Mr.  Sander 
son  was  her  father,  and  it  was  thought  best  to 
show  due  consideration  to  him, 


80  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

"  Dear  me !  how  hateful  it  all  is,"  said  Bertie, 
with  a  yawn,  one  day  during  the  half-hour 
when  talking  was  permitted.  "Are  you  not 
heartily  sick  of  it,  Katie  ? " 

"  It 's  a  little  monotonous,  I  own,"  said  the 
girl  addressed,  "but  then,  no  work  is  play,  I 
suppose.  Maybe  we  '11  get  promoted  to  the 
folding-room  soon,  and  it  will  be  much  nicer 
there." 

"  It  is  n't  a  bit  nicer.  It 's  work  anywhere,  and 
I  hate  work.  I  never  mean  to  do  a  bit  of  it  that 
I  can  help.  Ma  says  pa  '11  have  money  enough 
to  make  us  all  rich,  and  I  want  to  be  a  lady." 
"  Ma "  had  been  a  factory-girl  herself,  which 
was  perhaps  one  reason  why  Bertie  despised  the 
business.  She  had  married  the  foreman  of  the 
mill,  who  had  now  risen  to  be  overseer  of  the 
bindery,  and  yearly  laid  up  a  large  portion  of 
his  salary,  while  her  sister  had  married  a  city 
grocer,  who  was  spending  all  he  made  as  he 
made  it,  and  his  children  were  growing  up  to  be 
useless,  fine  ladies,  and  a  positive  injury  to  their 
country  cousins. 

"  But  while  you  do  work  you  might  do  it 
faithfully,  not  spend  time  for  which  you  are 


A  DISCOVERT.  8l 

paid  in  idleness,  and  crowd  in  rags  with  the 
buttons  all  on,  which  will  be  sure  to  spoil  the 
machinery  when  they  come  to  be  ground." 

"  Bah  !  what  difference  does  it  make  ?  I  'm 
paid  for  my  time.  Provided  I  stay  here  all  day, 
they  haven't  a  right  to  claim  anything  more." 

"  But,  Bertie,  they  have.  Don't  you  remem 
ber  the  text  which  is  painted  on  the  wall  at  the 
foot  of  the  corridor  ? 

"  *  Not  slothful  in  business,  fervent  in  spirit, 
serving  the  Lord.1 " 

"  It  seems  to  me  just  like  stealing  to  waste 
time  that  we  're  paid  for,  or  not  to  do  work 
entrusted  to  us  just  as  well  as  we  possibly  can." 

"Oh,  well,  you're  one  of  the  saints,  you 
know.  If  it 's  saintship  to  be  rude  and  call 
other  people  thieves  I  'm  glad  I  'm  a  sinner, 
that 's  all.  I  guess  we  'II  catch  the  saint  in  a 
slip  before  long,  don't  you,  girls  ?  "  said  she, 
appealing  to  several  other  idlers  who  naturally 
congregated  around  a  bird  of  the  same  feather 
as  themselves. 

Bertie  and  Katie  did  not  walk  home  together 
any  more.  The  former,  never  having  finished 
her  work,  was  always  obliged  to  remain  in  the 


82  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

mill  till  the  closing-bell  rang,  while  the  former 
went  home,  as  we  have  seen,  at  four  o'clock, 
and  at  noon  she  was  generally  met  by  her 
brothers. 

"Eric,"  she  said  on  the  day  of  the  above 
conversation,  "do  you  think  it's  right  to  idle 
and  talk  instead  of  doing  your  work  ? " 

"  We  can't  in  the  bindery ;  the  machine  won't 
let  us.  Everything  would  go  to  thunder  if  we 
looked  off." 

"But  suppose  you  could,  and  nobody  knew 
anything  about  it  ?  " 

"They  couldn't  fine  you  if  they  didn't 
know,"  said  Alfred,  whose  ideas  of  the  right 
eousness  of  law  were  modified  by  the  possibility 
of  escaping  its  penalty. 

"  What  difference  would  that  make  ? "  said 
Eric.  "  God  would  know." 

"Yes,"  said  Katie,  "  I  always  wish  the  words 
'  Thou  God  seest  me,'  were  written  up  on  the 
walls  of  the  mill.  It  helps  you  not  to  get 
tired  and  want  to  stop." 

"  Do  you  ever  want  to  stop,  Katie  ?  "  said  her 
brother,  tenderly. 

"Yes,   lots   of    times.      It's   just    the    same 


A  DISCOVERT.  83 

thing  day  after  day,  no  change,  no  variety,  the 
dust  suffocates  you,  and  it 's  so  hard  to  get  up 
in  the  morning,  and  " 

"Sho!"  shouted  Alfred,  "I  thought  you'd 
sing  a  different  tune  after  you  'd  been  in  the 
factory  a  little  while.  Don't  you  remember  I 
told  you  so  ?  " 

" Katie,"  said  Eric,  "you  remember  /  told 
you  that  you  should  not  work  one  moment 
longer  than  you  wanted  to.  A  girl  with  two 
strong  brothers  to  support  her  need  not  work 
for  her  living  unless  she  chooses  to.  Do  you 
want  to  stop  now  ?  " 

"  I  want  to,  ever  so  much,"  said  the  girl,  "  but 
I  don't  mean  to.  Do  you  think  I  am  a  baby  to 
begin  a  thing  and  then  leave  it  off  again  ? 
There's  just  as  much  reason  as  there  ever  was 
for  my  earning  money.  I  'm  not  going  to  be 
dependent  upon  you,  and  mother  is  growing 
older  every  day.  Do  you  remember  what  the 
Bible  says  about  those  who  put  their  hands  to 
the  plough  and  look  back  ?  I  don't  mean  to  be 
one  of  those  ;  and  I  mean  to  pray  every  day," 
she  said  more  softly,  "  that  I  may  be  more 
patient  and  persevering." 


84  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

Eric  understood  her,  and  even  Alfred  re 
spected  his  sister  the  more  for  what  he  could 
not  understand. 

"  I  wish  I  knew  some  way  of  making  money 
faster,"  said  Katie  to  her  brothers  soon  after ; 
"a  great  deal,  I  mean.  Mother  wants  any 
quantity  of  things  —  blankets,  and  kitchen 
utensils,  and  table  things,  and  she  has  n't  a 
bonnet  fit  to  go  to  church  in.  It  takes  about 
all  we  can  make  to  feed  us  all,  and  if  there  is 
any  left  she  always  uses  it  to  buy  things  for  us 
instead  of  thinking  about  herself." 

"  I  wonder  how  it  is  mothers  never  think  of 
themselves,"  said  Alfred.  "  They  are  always 
fussing  to  make  us  happy,  and  we  don't  do 
things  for  them  at  all." 

Katie  thought  of  the  words  :  — 

"As  one  whom  his  mother  comforteth," 

which  had  been  in  last  Sunday's  lesson,  but  did 
not  say  them  aloud,  only  it  was  a  comfort  to 
her  to  think  of  the  other  holy  words  which  say 
of  a  mother  and  her  child :  "She  may  forget,  yet 
will  not  I  forget  thee."  No  matter  how  much 
a  mother  may  love,  God  loves  us  better  still. 


A   DISCOVERT.  85 

One  day  about  that  time,  Bertie  Sanderson, 
following  her  usual  custom  of  looking  around  the 
room  instead  of  at  her  work,  saw  something 
that  caused  her  to  start,  open  her  eyes  very 
wide,  and  then  mutter  half-aloud :  — 

"  Oho  !  the  saints  are  not  so  saintly  after  all. 
It's  dishonest  to  look  around  the  room,  is  it? 
I  wonder  what  you  call  that ! " 

"Bertie  Sanderson,  talking,  as  usual,"  said 
Miss  Peters,  marking  the  fine  upon  the  slate 
which  she  always  carried  with  her,  "and  Katie 
Robertson,  too,"  noting  a  sudden  flush  upon 
the  face  of  the  latter.  "  I  am  surprised." 

"  I  did  not  speak,"  said  Katie,  respectfully, 
but  with  some  confusion. 

"  There  's  no  harm  in  talking  to  yourself," 
said  Bertie,  in  the  rude  tone  which  she  usually 
addressed  to  Miss  Peters. 

"Were  not  those  girls  talking,  Gretchen," 
said  the  superintendent,  appealing  to  a  stout 
German  who  worked  near  the  others. 

"No,  rna'am,  I  believe  not;  at  least,  Katie 
wasn't.  I  heard  Bertie  say  something,  but 
Katie  did  not  answer,  but " 

"Never   mind,"  said   Miss   Peters,    who  had 


86  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

got  all  she  wanted, — a  chance  to  fine  Bertie 
whom  she  hated, —  "  attend  to  your  work,"  and 
she  passed  on,  never  noticing  the  hand  which 
Katie,  having  hastily  thrust  it  into  her  pocket, 
continued  to  hold  there. 

The  work  proceeded  in  silence,  and,  as  Katie 
went  home  at  four  o'clock  as  usual,  Bertie  did 
not  have  an  opportunity  to  speak  to  her  about 
the  strange  thing  she  had  noticed.  She  did, 
however,  say  to  Gretchen,  as  they  separated: 
"Did  you  see  that?" 

"What  ?  "  said  the  German,  innocently. 

"  Oh!  nothing,  if  you  did  not  see  it."  Bertie 
was  going  to  tell  her  companion  what  she  had 
seen,  but  on  second  thoughts  decided  to  keep 
her  discovery  to  herself,  that  she  might  have 
more  power  over  the  "  saint,"  whom  she  was 
beginning  to  absolutely  hate. 

But  Gretchen  had  seen  exactly  what  Bertie 
had,  only  she  did  not  think  it  her  business,  and 
as  it  was  not,  did  not  choose  to  speak  about 
it,  but,  German  fashion,  went  about  her  own 
business. 

What  had  the  two  girls  seen  ?  What  was  it 
that  made  Katie  Robertson's  face  such  a  study 


A   DISCOVERY.  87 

as  she  walked  home  at  a  much  slower  pace  than 
was  her  wont?  What  was  it  that  lay  in  the 
depth  of  her  pocket,  where  her  hand  rested  for 
greater  security.  What  did  she  put  away  in 
the  drawer  that  contained  her  treasures,  going 
directly  to  her  room  for  the  purpose,  instead  of 
rushing  first  of  all  to  the  sitting-room  to  see  if 
her  mother  were  at  home. 

Only  a  crisp  fifty-dollar  t  ill !  Katie  had 
never  seen  so  much  money  at  once  before. 
How  beautiful  it  looked ;  how  much  it  repre 
sented  of  comfort  and  luxury ;  how  many 
things  it  would  buy  that  she  knew  were  wanted 
by  her  mother  and  the  boys !  She  deposited 
her  treasure  carefully  at  the  bottom  of  a  little 
pearl  box  which  had  been  her  mother's,  and  was 
the  only  really  pretty  thing  which  she  pos 
sessed,  and  then  went  downstairs  to  lie  on  the 
sofa,  think  about  and  plan  for  spending  it. 

Where  had  Katie  suddenly  got  so  much 
money  ?  and  why  did  she  so  earnestly  desire  to 
keep  the  possession  of  it  a  secret  ?  She 
thought  the  answer  to  the  latter  question  lay  in 
her  desire  to  surprise  her  mother,  and  was  not 
at  all  conscious  of  another  feeling  that  lay  as 


88  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

yet  quite  dormant  and  unaroused.  As  to  the 
former,  that  is  easily  answered.  After  cutting 
off  the  buttons  of  an  old  vest,  just  as  the  little 
girl  was  preparing  to  cut  it  in  smaller  pieces, 
the  pocket  opened,  and  out  fluttered  a  crumpled 
paper,  which  on  being  opened  proved  to  be  a 
fifty-dollar  bill.  Some  careless  gentleman,  no 
one  could  tell  whom,  no  one  could  tell  when, 
had  stuffed  it  into  the  pocket  and  forgotten  all 
about  it.  Strange  that  the  vest  should  have 
gone  through  all  the  vicissitudes  common  to 
old  clothes,  worn  possibly  by  a  beggar,  con 
demned  to  a  dust-heap,  fished  out,  sorted,  sold, 
packed,  sold  again,  and  transported  to  the 
factory,  passing  through  a  dozen  hands,  to  any 
one  of  whose  owners  the  money  would  have 
been  so  useful,  and  there  it  had  lain  unnoticed 
till  it  fluttered  out  into  the  very  hands  of  Katie 
Robertson,  who  needed  it  so  much. 

What  castles  in  the  air  the  little  girl  built 
as  she  lay  there  in  the  twilight  !  —  dresses  and 
bonnets  for  her  mother  ;  new  suits  for  each  oi 
the  boys ;  a  new  tea-set,  with  table-cloth  and 
napkins.  Never  in  the  world  did  a  fifty-dollar 
bill  buy  half  so  much  in  reality  as  this  one  did 


A  DISCOVERY.  89 

in  imagination ;  which,  by  the  way,  is  a  very 
pleasant  way  of  spending  money,  since  it  does 
not  at  all  diminish  the  amount,  which  may  be 
all  spent  over  and  over  again  in  a  variety  of 
ways.  But  strangely  enough,  while  everything 
needed  by  the  others,  even  to  a  new  ribbon  to 
tie  round  pussy's  neck,  was  remembered, 
Katie's  catalogue  of  articles  to  be  bought  con 
tained  nothing  in  the  world  for  herself. 


go  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

STRIFE  AND  VICTORY. 

|O  thought  had  as  yet  suggested  itself 
to  Katie  concerning  her  right  to  the 
money  which  had  thus  come  into  her 
possession,  and  as  she  lay  there  planning  the 
things  she  was  going  to  get  with  it,  she  enjoyed 
to  the  full  the  dignity  of  ownership.  How  glad 
her  mother  would  be  when  there  was  a  decent 
water-pail  in  the  house,  plates  enough  of  one 
kind  to  go  round,  and  a  table-cloth  that  was  not 
nearly  all  darns  !  Then  her  mother  should  have 
a  new  shawl  and  bonnet,  and  each  of  the  boys 
a  straw  hat  and  a  bright  necktie,  and  she 
would  have  something  to  put  in  the  plate  every 
Sunday  in  church,  and  to  add  to  the  missionary 
collection  of  the  Sunday-school  class.  Perhaps, 
even,  she  could  give  something  toward  a  present 
that  the  girls  were  talking  of  giving  to  Miss 
Eunice. 


STRIFE  AND   VICTORY.  91 

But  just  then  an  idea,  so  painful  that  at  first 
she  turned  away  from  it,  struck  her,  and  a  ques 
tion  that  she  did  not  want  to  answer  suggested 
itself  to  her  mind.  Had  she  a  right  to  keep  the 
money?  Was  it  really  hers?  Of  course  it 
was,  said  inclination ;  whose  else  could  it  be  ? 
She  had  found  it,  no  one  else ;  if  she  had  not 
picked  it  up  it  would  have  gone  in  with  the  rags 
to  be  boiled  and  ground  up  into  paper  again, 
or  it  might  have  been  swept  away  among  the 
dust  and  waste  paper,  and  no  one  been  the 
better  or  wiser.  "Findings  is  keepings"  was 
a  familiar  school-boy  proverb ;  was  it  the  right 
principle  or  not  ? 

Katie  tried  to  persuade  herself  that  it  was. 
Nevertheless,  she  was  glad  that,  as  she  supposed, 
no  one  had  seen  her  find  the  bill,  and  that  her 
mother  as  yet  knew  nothing  about  the  finding. 
Also,  she  did  not  plan  out  any  more  way-s  of 
spending  the  money. 

Katie  was  so  silent  all  teatime  that  her 
brothers  continually  rallied  her  upon  her  pre 
occupation,  and  her  mother,  fearing  she  must  be 
sick,  sent  her  to  bed  very  early.  To  this  the 
little  girl  did  not  object,  as  she  wanted  to  be 


92  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

alone  to  think  over  the  question  that  was  so 
perplexing  her  brain. 

Before  getting  into  bed,  our  young  friend 
opened  her  drawer,  took  out  the  box,  gazed 
lovingly  at  the  bill  for  a  time,  then  put  it  away, 
and  knelt  to  say  her  evening  prayer.  What  was 
the  matter  to-night  ?  For  almost  the  first  time 
since  she  had  known  what  prayer  really  was, 
she  could  not  pray.  Her  thoughts  would  not 
be  controlled  ;  they  kept  wandering  away  tc 
the  finding  of  that  bill.  She  wondered  whether 
any  one  had  seen  her  find  it,  what  use  she 
should  put  it  to,  and  if  it  were  really  hers 
after  all.  She  knew  it  was  wrong  to  think 
of  other  things  at  such  a  solemn  moment,  and 
felt  guilty  and  condemned.  Her  conscience 
troubled  her;  it  seemed  as  though  God  were 
angry  with  her.  So  far  the  finding  of  the 
money  had  not  been  a  very  happy  event  for 
its  finder.  It  often  happens  that  secular  things, 
the  things  we  are  interested  in  in  our  daily 
lives,  will  come  in  between  us  and  our  prayers, 
and  we  cannot  get  rid  of  them.  Young  Chris 
tians  especially  are  greatly  troubled  in  this 
way,  and  have  many  weary  fights  in  the  attempt 


STRIFE  AND    VICTOR  T.  93 

to  control  their  thoughts.  They  have  an  idea 
that  prayer  is  such  a  sacred  thing,  and  God 
is  so  holy,  that  they  must  only  talk  to  him 
about  religion,  and  use  pretty  much  the  same 
words  which  they  hear  in  church,  and  when 
they  cannot  do  this,  they  either  fall  into  the 
habit  of  saying  such  words  formally  without 
in  the  least  thinking  of  their  meaning,  or  else 
they  are  wretched  and  self-condemned  because 
of  what  are  called  "  distractions  in  prayer." 
But  there  is  a  more  excellent  way,  even  to 
take  all  the  things  that  really  interest  us 
directly  to  "  our  Father  which  art  in  heaven," 
and  tell  him  all  about  them.  He  encourages 
us,  to  do  so  when  he  says,  "casting  all  your 
care  upon  him,"  and  "in  everything  by  prayer 
and  supplication  make  your  requests  known 
unto  God."  If  we  are  really  his  children  we 
may  be  sure  that  nothing  is  too  small  to 
interest  him  which  rightfully  interests  us,  and 
if  it  is  not  a  right  interest  there  is  no  surer 
way  of  finding  that  out,  and  gaining  the  victory 
over  it,  than  by  bringing  it  to  the  light  of 
his  Holy  Spirit  and  asking  him  for  strength 
to  dispose  of  it  as  we  ought. 


94  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

Had  Katie  thus  taken  the  money  which  she 
had  found  directly  to  the  Lord,  she  would 
soon  have  understood  all  her  duty  concern 
ing  it.  Her  desire  would  have  been  only  to  do 
his  will,  and  she  would  have  gone  to  sleep 
as  peacefully  as  a  little  child  who  trusts  its 
mother  to  manage  for  it  just  as  she  sees  to 
be  for  the  best.  But  this  she  did  not  dare 
to  do,  partly  because  she  had  not  yet  learned 
to  understand  how  God  "  careth "  for  his 
children  in  all  little  things,  and  partly  because 
down  at  the  bottom  of  her  heart  she  was 
not  quite  ready  to  do  his  will  —  that  is,  she 
hoped  that  it  would  be  right  for  her  to  keep 
the  money,  and  hoped  this  so  strongly  that  she 
could  not  look  fairly  on  the  other  side  of 
the  question.  Nearly  all  night  —  or  it  seemed 
so  to  a  little  girl  who  was  generally  asleep 
by  the  time  her  head  touched  the  pillow  — 
she  lay  tossing  from  side  to  side,  troubled  by 
a  dozen  different  sides  of  the  question.  And 
when  she  did  get  to  sleep  it  was  to  dream 
confused  dreams  of  thieves  being  taken  to 
prison,  and  of  being  one  of  them  herself. 

As  soon  as  it  was  light,  for   the  long  days 


STRIFE  AND    VICTORY.  95 

had  come  now,  the  tired  little  girl  sprang 
from  her  bed,  and  dressed  herself,  in  a  very 
unhappy  frame  of  mind.  She  must  decide 
very  soon  now,  and  she  began  to  see  more 
and  more  clearly  that  that  money  did  not 
belong  to  her,  but  to  the  owner  of  the  vest 
in  which  she  had  found  it.  To  be  sure,  she 
could  not  now  find  the  original  owner,  but 
Mr.  Mountjoy  certainly  owned  it,  because  he 
had  bought  the  rags.  It  was  one  thing,  how 
ever,  to  see  this,  and  quite  another  to  decide 
to  give  up  to  him  who  had  so  much  the  little 
that  was  so  much  to  her.  All  the  pleasant 
planning  must  go  with  it  ;  all  the  things  she 
had  desired  for  her  mother  and  the  boys. 
She  was  sure  she  had  not  been  selfish ;  it 
was  not  for  herself  she  wanted  money  at  all. 
From  force  of  habit  she  opened  her  Bible 
and  read  the  first  words  she  saw,  which  were 
these :  "Thou  desirest  truth  in  the  inward 
parts."  And  again  the  words  flashed  upon 
her  :  "  Thou  God  seest  me." 

What  did  God  see?  Did  he  see  "truth  in 
the  inward  part "  of  her  heart  ?  Was  she  pre 
pared  in  all  her  ways  to  acknowledge  him? 
his  right  to  her  and  all  that  was  hers? 


96  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

Then  she  knelt  down  and  did  what  she  ought 
to  have  done  the  first  thing  —  told  him,  who  un 
derstands  and  pities  us  "  like  as  a  father  pitieth 
his  children,"  all  about  it,  and  asked  him  to 
forgive,  to  pity,  and  to  direct  her.  And  now 
it  all  came  to  her,  for  God  always  keeps  his 
word,  and  he  has  promised  to  give  his  Holy 
Spirit  to  them  that  ask  him,  and  further  that 
that  blessed  Spirit  when  he  comes  shall  "guide 
us  unto  all  truth." 

Whoever  was  the  owner  of  that  bill,  she  was 
not.  It  belonged  to  God  primarily,  but  he  had 
given  the  disposal  of  it  into  the  hands  of  him 
who  owned  the  rags.  If  she  kept  it,  at  least 
without  telling  him  that  she  had  found  it,  she 
would  be  a  thief !  There  was  but  one  right 
way  for  her,  and  that  was  to  take  it  at  once  to 
him,  tell  him  where  she  had  found  it,  and  leave 
him  to  do  as  he  thought  best.  To  her  mind 
there  was  little  doubt  what  he  would  do. 
People  did  not  generally  give  away  their  money, 
especially  such  large  sums  as  fifty  dollars 
seemed  to  her.  All  her  air-castles  must  fall 
to  the  dust,  and  the  house  must  go  on  with 
the  old  things  as  before. 


STRIFE  AND    VIC  TORT.  97 

Nevertheless,  it  was  with  a  sense  of  absolute 
relief  that  Katie  folded  that  bill  away  in  her 
little  purse,  and  dropped  it  far  down  into  her 
pocket.  If  the  "eyes  of  the  Lord  were  in 
every  place,"  they  saw  it  there,  and  they  saw, 
too,  into  her  heart,  and  saw  there  that  the 
purpose  of  doing  his  will  had,  by  his  grace, 
triumphed  over  her  own  desires,  and  that  was 
enough  to  make  her  once  more  the  happy, 
bright  Katie  Robertson. 

She  was  almost  late  at  the  mill  this  morning ; 
had  only  just  time  to  get  to  her  place  as  the 
short  whistle  sounded,  and  of  course  there  was 
no  time  to  speak  to  Mr.  Mount  joy.  She  com 
menced  her  work  at  once,  and  continued  it  very 
diligently,  never  once  looking  around  at  the 
other  girls,  so  full  was  she  of  her  own  thoughts. 
Thus  she  did  not  see  the  significant  looks 
which  Bertie  cast  at  her  from  time  to  time, 
nor  the  signs  which  she  made  to  some  of  the 
other  girls  who,  in  their  turn,  became  curious 
and  significant,  and  lost  several  pennies  in  fines, 
because  they  could  not  help  asking  each  other 
what  was  the  matter. 

Bertie  had  not  exactly  told  the  story  as  she 


98  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

knew  it,  but  had  insinuated  to  one  and  another 
that  she  knew  something  that  nobody  else 
knew  about  Katie  Robertson  ;  that,  if  she 
chose  to  tell  all  she  knew,  people  would  not 
think  her  such  a  saint ;  that,  for  her  part,  she 
did  not  believe  in  saints  ;  when  people  pretended 
to  be  very  religious  they  were  sure  to  be  dis 
honest,  etc.  etc.  She  made  such  a  mystery 
of  her  news  that  the  girls  to  whom  she  had 
made  her  half-confidence  were  worked  up  to 
a  great  state  of  excitement,  and  the  others 
were  devoured  with  curiosity  to  know  what 
it  could  all  be  about. 

But  Katie  worked  quietly  on.  She  had 
plenty  of  opportunity  to  change  her  determina 
tion  had  she  desired  to  do  so,  and  indeed  the 
temptation  to  keep  the  money  herself  and  say 
nothing  about  it  presented  itself  again  and 
again  to  her  mind.  But  now  she  knew  it  to 
be  a  temptation,  and  she  was  strong  to  resist, 
because  she  had  committed  herself  to  One  who 
was  mighty  and  his  strength  was  made  perfect 
in  her  weakness. 

As  soon  as  the  noon-bell  rang  and  the  work 
people  all  poured  along  the  corridors  and  out  at 


STRIFE  AND   VIC  TORT.  99 

the  open  doors,  Katie  knocked  at  the  office 
door  and  was  told  to  "  Come  in  !  "  by  Mr.  James, 
who  happened  to  be  alone  inside.  Without  a 
word  the  girl  walked  up  to  his  desk  and  laid 
the  bill  down  beside  him. 

The  young  man  started,  stared,  and  finally 
said:  — 

"  Where  did  you  get  this  ?  " 

"  I  found  it  in  the  rags,  sir." 

"When?" 

"Yesterday  afternoon." 

"Why  did  you  bring  it  to  me?" 

"  Because  I  think  if  it  belongs  to  anybody  it 
does  to  you  ;  it  was  found  among  your  rags," 

"  Why  did  you  not  bring  it  to  me  at  once  ? " 

"  Because  —  because  I  did  n't  think  at  first, 
and  I  wanted  it  so  much." 

"Did  you?"  said  he,  gravely.  "You  know 
the  Bible  says  :  '  Thou  shalt  not  covet '  ? " 

Katie  started ;  had  she  been  breaking  one  of 
the  commandments,  after  all  ?  Not  the  one 
about  stealing,  of  which  she  had  thought,  but 
another. 

"  I  did  n't  mean  to  do  that,"  said  she,  in  a  low 
voice,  "but  we  do  want  things  so  much —  mother, 
I  mean.  We  are  so  poor." 


IOO  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

"Are  you  ? "  said  the  young  man,  in  a  sympa 
thizing  tone.  "  Well,  you  are  an  honest  little  girl 
to  bring  it  to  me  at  all.  A  great  many  would 
not  have  done  so,  and  I  should  have  known 
nothing  about  it.  Didn't  you  think  of  that?" 

"Yes,  sir;  but  God  knew  it,  and  that  made 
all  the  difference.  Besides,  I  don't  think  I  was 
quite  honest ;  if  I  had  been,  I  should  have  come 
to  you  the  first  minute,  and  not  thought  about 
keeping  it  at  all." 

"Then  you  did  have  a  little  struggle  about 
it?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir ,  I  hardly  slept  all  night.  I 
didn't  know  what  to  do  at  first,  and  then  I 
didn't  want  to  do  it" 

"But  God  gave  you  the  victory,"  said  the 
young  man,  reverently. 

"  I  understand  all  about  that,  and  how  sweet 
it  is  to  be  helped  by  him,"  Katie  added 

"  Now,"  continued  he,  "  I  think  he  sent  you 
that  fifty-dollar  bill  himself ;  first  to  try  you,  and 
then  that  you  might  help  your  mother  to  buy 
all  those  things  that  you  and  she  are  so  much 
in  need  of.  It  is  n't  mine,  for  when  I  pay  two 
cents  a  pound  for  old  rags  I  do  not  buy  fifty 


STRIFE  AND    VIC  TORT.  IOI 

dollar  bills.  Take  it,  and  be  just  as  happy  with 
it  as  a  thankful  heart  can  make  you.  Good- 
morning ;  I  must  hurry  home  to  dinner." J  ' 

A  gladder  little  girl  than  Katie  Robertson  it 
would  be  hard  to  find.  The  love  of  money  is 
said  to  be  the  root  of  all  evil,  and  so  money 
itself  sometimes  is,  but  that  is  according  to 
how  it  is  gotten  and  how  used. 

This  bill  would  have  been  a  root  of  bitter  evil 
to  the  girl  had  she  kept  it,  in  spite  of  an 
enlightened  conscience,  which  told  her  to  give  it 
up;  and  it  would  have  been  a  root  of  evil  to  the 
young  man,  had  he  taken  it,  as  by  the  letter 
of  the  law  he  had  an  undoubted  right  to  do, 
when  he  knew  the  little  girl  needed  it  so  much 
more  than  he  did.  As  it  was,  it  was  a  seed  of 
joy  to  both  of  them.  Mr.  James  went  home 
full  of  the  joy  which  is  so  like  to  Christ's  joy, 
m  having  been  kind  to  another  at  his  own 
expense ;  and  Katie's  heart  could  hardly  hold 
the  glad  thankfulness,  both  to  him  and  to  her 
heavenly  Father,  that  filled  it  to  overflowing,  and 
that  was  all  the  gladder  because  it  was  rooted 
in  an  approving  conscience,  at  peace  with  itself 
and  at  peace  with  God. 

1  This  whole  occurrence  is  a  positive  fact. 


I02  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

The  precious  piece  of  paper  was  displayed  to 
the  wondering  mother  and  brothers  at  the  dinner- 
table  that  day.  The  story,  or  so  much  of  it  as 
.Katie  "could  bring  herself  to  relate,  was  told,  and 
all  enjoyed  in  anticipation  the  comforts  it  was 
able  to  procure ;  but  the  best  thing  it  accom 
plished  was  to  teach  its  finder  where  to  go  in 
time  of  perplexity  and  temptation  and  in  whose 
strength  to  be  "more  than  conqueror." 


TEMPLES.  103 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

TEMPLES. 

|T  was  a  lovely  June  Sunday.  The  seats 
of  Squantown  Sunday-school  were  even 
more  crowded  than  usual ;  the  girls' 
side  looking  like  a  flower-bed  in  its  variety 
and  brilliancy  of  color.  Bertie  Sanderson  was 
there  in  her  new  silk,  —  a  brilliant  cardinal,  — 
looking  strangely  unsuitable  to  the  season ; 
Gretchen,  the  German,  in  her  woolen  petticoat 
and  jacket,  which  she  had  not  been  long  enough 
in  the  country  to  discard  for  summer  attire ;  the 
other  girls  in  spring  suits,  and  Katie  Robertson 
in  a  lovely  pale-blue  lawn  and  a  white  straw  hat 
trimmed  with  the  same  color.  It  was  the 
prettiest  costume  the  little  girl  had  ever  pos 
sessed,  and  as  it  was  all  bought  with  her  own 
earnings  she  may  be  pardoned  for  being  very 
much  pleased  with  it.  And  yet  it  was  as  simple 
and  inexpensive  a  summer  outfit  as  any  one 
could  have,  and  certainly  was  not  fitted  to 
excite  the  hateful  thoughts  to  which  it  was 


IO4  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

giving  rise  in  Bertie's  mind  —  Bertie,  clad  in 
her  unsuitable  finery !  This  finery  had  not 
been  the  success  that  Bertie  expected.  To  be 
sure,  it  was  a  silk  dress,  and  the  brightest 
color  she  could  procure,  but  it  had  been  made 
by  the  Squantown  dressmaker,  and  entirely 
lacked  the  fit  and  finish  of  Etta  Mountjoy's 
dresses,  besides  being  in  direct  contrast  to  the 
delicate,  harmonious  colors  which  the  latter 
wore  —  a  contrast  which  her  admirer  and  would- 
be  imitator  was  quick  to  perceive  when  her  own 
brilliant  coloring  had  been  selected  and  it  was 
too  late  to  change.  The  disappointment  made 
her  cross,  and  inclined  her  still  more  to  look  for 
flaws  in  Katie,  whom  she  began  to  hate  as 
natures  not  sanctified  by  the  grace  of  God  are 
apt  to  hate  those  who  are  trying  to  do  his  will, 
and  are  thus  a  constant  rebuke  to  them. 

"Just  look  at  her  finery,"  said  Bertie  to  her 
nearest  neighbor,  as  Katie  entered,  looking  as 
fresh  and  sweet  as  a  June  rose,  "and  her 
mother  so  poor.  I  could  tell  a  story  about  how 
she  got  it  that  would  make  Miss  Etta  open  her 
eyes,  and  Miss  Eunice,  too,  for  all  she  makes 
such  a  pet  of  the  saint." 


TEMPLES.  IO5 

"What  in  the  world  do  you  mean  ? "  said  the 
other;  but  Bertie  shook  her  head  and  looked 
mysterious,  of  course  thus  exciting  the  curiosity 
of  the  other  tenfold. 

"Do  tell  me,"  she  said. 

"  We  know  what  we  do  know,  don't  we  ? " 
said  Bertie,  provokingly,  appealing  to  Gretchen, 
who  nodded,  but  did  not  speak. 

"Now,  you're  real  mean,"  said  the  other,  one 
Amelia  Porter  by  name.  "  I  know  something  I 
won't  tell  you,  that 's  all." 

Just  then  the  bell  tapped  for  silence,  and  the 
rest  of  the  conversation  was  carried  on  in 
whispers,  the  only  part  which  was  heard  being 
Amelia's  astonished  "  Stole  it  ?  You  don't  say 
so !  I  never  would  have  thought  of  such  a 
thing." 

But  Katie  did  not  hear.  She  was  not  thinking 
about  her  dress  at  all.  The  lesson  was  to  her  a 
very  interesting  one — .the  oft-repeated  story  of 
the  tongues  of  fire  that  carne  down  upon  the 
early  church,  symbolizing  the  mighty  power  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  enkindle  divine  emotions, 
enthusiasm,  and  praise,  and  to  make  human 
tongues  as  flames  of  fire. 


IO6  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

Miss  Etta  explained  (for  she  had  taken  pains 
to  study  it  up)  how,  in  the  early,  times  one 
Sunday  in  June  was  observed  in  commemo 
ration  of  this  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
how,  on  that  day,  the  new  Christians,  who  of 
course  were  originally  heathen,  having  been  at 
first  subjected  to  a  long  course  of  training,  were 
baptized.  They  were  called  catechumens,  be 
cause  they  were  catechised  or  questioned,  and 
candidates  because  they  wore  long  white  robes, 
candidus  being  the  Latin  word  for  white,  and  by 
degrees  the  day  came  to  be  called  Whitsunday. 
Furthermore,  Miss  Etta  told  all  about  the 
Whitsuntide  festivals  of  old  English  times  in 
the  days  of  the  corrupt  church,  when  festivities 
of  the  most  riotous  kind  took  place  on  the  two 
days  following  Sunday ;  and  the  girls  left  the 
school,  if  not  impressed  by  the  holy  teachings 
of  the  lessons,  very  full  of  a  certain  knowledge 
of  that  kind  which  St.  Paul  says  "  puffeth  up," 
and  prepared  to  pass  a  brilliant  examination  on 
the  history  and  customs  of  Whitsuntide. 

Very  different  was  the  pastor's  sermon  of 
that  morning,  which  several  of  our  girls  remem 
bered  all  their  lives.  Its  text  was :  — 


TEMPLES.  IO7 

••  Ye  are  the  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
A.nd  the  speaker  showed  first  what  the  temples 
D£  old  times  were ;  not  places  of  meeting,  as  our 
:hurches  to  a  great  extent  are,  but  dwelling- 
places,  homes  where  God,  or  rather  "  the  gods," 
were  supposed  to  live.  This  idea  was  the  one 
ased  as  an  illustration  by  St.  Paul  in  the  text, 
which  means  that  God  has  made  all  human 
hearts  to  be  his  home  and  dwelling-place,  and 
that  if  we  will  let  him,  not  barring  the  doors 
with  sin  and  filling  up  the  inside  with  other 
things,  he  will  live  there  always  ;  or,  as  our  Lord 
Jesus  says  :  "  If  any  man  will  open  unto  me,  I 
will  come  in  unto  him  and  will  sup  with  him ; " 
and  in  another  place,  "will  abide  with  him." 
Then  he  explained  so  that  the  youngest  of  his 
audience  could  understand  what  are  the  sins 
that  bar  the  door  against  our  blessed  Saviour, 
and  how  we  set  up  idols  upon  the  altars  of 
God's  temple,  by  worshiping  dress,  vanity, 
pride,  revenge,  worldliness,  and  our  own  way, 
and  showed  how  nobody  can  really  worship 
God  and  have  him  abiding  in  his  holy  temple 
who  yields  obedience  to  anything  or  cares  for 
anything  more  than  his  will.  He  said  it  was  an 


108  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

awful  thing  to  defile  the  temple  of  God  by  such 
things  as  drinking,  smoking,  and  swearing,  or 
even  by  evil  thoughts  and  dishonest  intentions, 
by  selfish  motives  and  unkindness  in  word  or 
deed." 

He  closed  his  sermon  in  these  words  :  — 
"My  hearers,  every  one  of  you  is  a  temple 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  built  and  fashioned  with 
exquisite  skill,  for  his  own  chosen  dwelling- 
place.  See  to  it  that  ye  defile  not  this  temple, 
and  if  it  be  in  any  wise  already  defiled,  from 
without  or  within,  at  once  seek  the  double 
cleansing,  which  flows  from  the  Cross  on 
Calvary,  that  thus  your  sacred  temple  may  be 
washed  whiter  than  snow.  Dethrone  the  idol 
Self  which  has  so  long  usurped  the  place  of  God 
upon  its  altar,  and  let  him  rule  alone.  And 
remember  that  every  other  human  soul  is  like 
wise  a  sacred  temple,  no  matter  how  defiled 
and  degraded  it  has  become  by  yielding  itself 
willingly  to  the  dominion  of  sin.  Strive  to  do 
all  that  in  you  lies,  by  kind,  persuasive  words, 
by  example  and  effort,  to  cleanse  the  degraded 
and  polluted  temples,  and  so  do  all  in  your 
power  to  exalt  the  dominion  and  worship  of 


TEMPLES.  %  109 

God  in  all  the  human  souls  which  he  has 
made." 

The  impression  made  by  this  sermon  upon 
its  hearers  was  in  accord  with  the  character 
and  religious  development  of  each. 

James  Mountjoy  resolved  to  be  more  active 
and  energetic  in  all  efforts  to  improve  the  con 
dition  of  his  work-people,  to  raise  the  fallen,  to 
reclaim  the  sinful,  to  set  a  better  example  and 
raise  a  higher  standard  of  moral  excellence,  that 
the  human  temples  over  whom  he  had  influence 
might  be  better  fitted  for  the  abiding  presence 
of  their  heavenly  Guest.  Some  of  the  more 
thoughtful  of  his  boys  resolved  that  smoking, 
drinking,  and  swearing  should  no  longer,  even 
in  a  slight  degree,  defile  the  "temples"  en 
trusted  to  their  keeping. 

Eunice  Mountjoy  made  a  more  entire  con 
secration  of  herself  than  ever  before  to  God's 
service,  praying  that  there  might  be  no  hidden 
idols  in  her  temple ;  that  self  and  self-seeking 
might  be  forever  cast  out,  even  as  our  Lord 
cast  out  the  money-changers  and  traffickers 
from  the  temple  at  Jerusalem ;  that  God's  will 
in  all  things  might  be  hers,  and  that  she  might 


I  I O  KA  TIB  R  OBER  TS  ON. 

devote  not  a  part  only,  but  all  her  time,  all  her 
faculties,  all  her  influence  to  his  service  in 
doing  good  to  others,  and  thus  "worship  the 
Lord  in  the  beauty  of  holiness." 

Katie  Robertson  felt  that  she  had  understood 
some  things  to-day  as  never  before.  What  but 
the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  her  heart  had 
enabled  her  to  see  the  right  and  strengthened 
her  to  do  it,  and  thus  come  off  victorious  over 
temptation  ?  She  remembered  how  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  symbolized  by  a  pure  white  dove,  and 
she  longed  that  her  temple  should  also  be  a  soft, 
white  nest  full  of  pure  desires  and  kindly 
thoughts,  and  that  nothing  she  might  do  or  say 
in  her  daily  life,  among  her  companions  or  at 
home,  should  grieve  that  blessed  heavenly 
inhabitant. 

Even  Bertie  Sanderson  had  been  struck  with 
the  sermon.  If  her  heart  was  indeed  a  temple 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  how  was  she  defiling  it  ? 
Envy,  hatred,  and  malice  were  allowed  to  run 
riot  there ;  love  of  dress  and  vanity  were  the 
idols  enthroned  on  the  altar ;  pride,  disobedience, 
irreverence,  contempt  of  rightful  authority, 
idleness,  and  unfaithfulness  were  barring  the 


TEMPLES.  1 1 1 

door  and  keeping  the  loving  Saviour,  who  stood 
knocking  there,  from  coming  into  his  own. 

Bertie  felt  uncomfortable ;  the  Holy  Spirit 
was  speaking  to  her,  and  she  could  not  help  but 
hear.  But  to  hear  and  to  obey  are  two  very 
different  things.  The  girl  knew  that  she  could 
unbar  the  closed  door  of  her  heart  if  she  chose. 
One  earnest,  sincere  prayer  would  bring  the 
omnipotent  aid  of  the  Spirit  to  cast  out  the 
evil  things  and  cleanse  the  defilement.  But 
she  did  not  want  them  cast  out ;  she  loved  them 
too  well.  It  would  be  all  very  well  to  have 
Christ's  love,  pity,  forgiveness,  and  protection, 
and  to  be  sure  of  heaven  when  she  died  ;  but 
to  be  a  Christian  —  a  saint  she  would  have 
called  it  —  now,  to  give  up  the  things  that  most 
interested  her,  and  live  a  life  of  self-denial  and 
obedience,  —  she  had  no  idea  of  doing  any  such 
thing.  So,  to  drown  the  voice  that  she  could 
not  help  hearing  but  did  not  mean  to  obey,  she 
went  off  on  a  Sunday  afternoon's  excursion 
with  some  of  the  boys  and  girls,  received  a 
sharp  reprimand  from  her  father  for  so  doing, 
and  went  back  to  her  work  on  Monday  morning 
more  rebellious,  more  hardened,  more  idle, 
more  malicious  than  before. 


112  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

The  blessed  Holy  Spirit  is  always  longing  to 
have  us  come  to  Christ  and  walk  in  his  holy 
and  happy  ways.  He  watches  for  an  oppor 
tunity  to  speak  to  us,  and  does  speak,  again  and 
again,  inclining  us  to  give  up  sin  and  choose 
holiness,  offering  us,  if  we  will  do  so,  all  the 
help  we  need.  But  he  will  not  force  us  to  obey 
his  gentle  call.  If  we  will  not  listen  and  obey, 
he  lets  us  go  off  on  our  self-chosen  path,  ceases 
to  speak  audibly  to  us,  and  patiently  waits  for 
another  and  more  propitious  season.  Bertie 
Sanderson,  that  June  Sunday,  greatly  "grieved 
the  Spirit." 

But  not  so  did  Etta  Mount  joy.  This  young 
lady,  ever  since  that  first  Wednesday  when  she 
attended  her  sister's  tea-party,  had  thought 
more  seriously  than  she  had  ever  thought 
before.  The  duty  of  being  a  Christian  had 
come  home  to  her  during  Eunice's  talk  and 
prayer,  and  at  the  same  time  she  had  felt  that 
she  was  not,  and  had  never  tried  to  be,  one. 
She  had  seen  this  still  more  clearly  during  the 
subsequent  meetings,  from  which  her  duty  to 
her  own  class  would  not  permit  her  to  be 
absent.  Dishonesty  and  hypocrisy  were  not 


TEMPLES.  I  1 3 

Etta's  vices ;  she  could  not  pretend  to  be  what 
she  was  not,  and  yet  she  could  not  shake  off 
the  impression  that  she  ought  to  give  herself 
to  Christ  and  openly  confess  his  name.  She 
tried  to  put  the  subject  out  of  her  thoughts  ; 
but  still,  as  she  listened,  day  by  day,  she  grew 
more  and  more  dissatisfied  with  herself,  her 
own  character,  her  aims  in  life.  The  prepara 
tion  of  her  Sunday-school  lessons  became  a 
dreaded  task,  for  it  was  impossible  to  minutely 
consider  the  shells  of  sacred  things  and  not  at 
the  same  time  take  cognizance  of  the  spiritual 
kernels  which  they  envelop,  and  these  spiritual 
realities  made  her  uncomfortable  and  more  and 
more  dissatisfied  with  herself. 

This  Sunday's  sermon  had  gone  to  the  very 
quick  of  Etta's  conscience,  painting  as  with  a 
finger  of  light  what  she  ought  to  be  and  what 
she  was.  God  had  made  her  for  his  own  temple 
and  dwelling-place  ;  made  her  fair,  outside  and 
within  ;  endowed  her  with  intellectual  and 
spiritual  gifts,  and  with  wealth,  station,  and 
influence,  giving  her  opportunities  for  culture 
and  usefulness  far  greater  than  most  of  those 
who  surrounded  her.  It  was  not  chance  or 


H4  KA  TIE  R  OBER  TS  ON- 

accident,  but  God,  who  had  given  her  all  this, 
and  he  demanded,  as  he  had  a  right  to  demand, 
in  return,  her  love,  her  obedience,  her  service. 
Had  she  given  him  these  ?  Never  once  in  her 
whole  life.  She  had  set  up  upon  his  altar  in 
the  midst  of  his  beautiful  temple  the  idol  of 
self-pleasing,  and  never  in  her  whole  seventeen 
years  had  she  acted  from  any  other  motive  than 
to  please  herself.  It  was  sacrilege,  it  was 
idolatry,  it  was  dishonesty  ;  and  so  were  all  the 
actions  which  had  come  from  such  a  corrupt 
source. 

Etta  was  too  clear-headed  to  suppose  that 
any  sudden  change  of  practice,  which  it  was 
in  her  power  to  commence  now,  would  make 
any  difference.  She  might  obey  mechanically, 
but  she  could  not  make  herself  love,  and  she  did 
not  love,  God.  His  service  was  a  weariness, 
prayer  a  formality,  the  Bible  a  dull,  uninterest 
ing  book.  She  did  love  a  light,  gay,  frivolous 
life ;  she  saw  no  attractiveness  in  one  of  self- 
denial  and  holy  living. 

She  went  directly  to  her  room  on  reaching 
home,  refused  to  go  down  to  dinner,  sat  behind 
the  shaded  blinds,  and  thought  till  thought 


TEMPLES.  I  I  5 

became  insupportable ;  and  then,  having  come 
to  one  settled  determination,  put  on  her  hat, 
covered  her  tear-stained  face  with  a  veil,  and 
walked  down  the  hill  to  the  parsonage,  and 
rang  the  bell  with  a  nervous  jerk.  Whatever 
Etta  did  she  did  with  a  will ;  she  made  no  half 
way  decisions. 

The  servant  who  admitted  "Miss  Etta" 
showed  her  into  the  pastor's  study,  where  after 
a  time  he  joined  her,  looking  a  little  surprised 
at  receiving  such  a  visitor  on  Sunday  afternoon. 
Etta's  peculiarities,  however,  were  well  known, 
and  he  concluded  she  had  some  new  project 
in  her  head,  in  which  she  desired  his  assistance 
and,  as  usual,  could  not  wait  a  moment  to  put 
it  into  execution.  He  was  rather  surprised 
by  the  tear-swollen  eyes  and  the  resolute 
expression  of  face,  and  after  courteously  wel 
coming  his  visitor,  waited  somewhat  impatiently 
to  hear  what  she  had  to  say. 

"  I  came,"  said  the  girl,  with  her  usual 
directness,  "to  ask  you  to  give  my  Sunday- 
school  class  to  some  one  else." 

"Tired  of  holding  your  hand  to  the  plow, 
and  beginning  to  look  back  already,  eh  ?  "  he 
said. 


I  1 6  KA  TIB  R  OBER  TS  ON. 

"  No,  sir,  it  is  n't  that ;  but  I  am  not  fit  to 
teach  any  class ;  certainly  not  such  a  one  as 
this.  I  don't  myself  know  what  those  girls 
ought  to  learn  ;  besides,  I  'm  not  a  fit  character 
for  them  to  imitate." 

"Not  a  fit  character?  What  can  you 
mean  ? " 

So  far  Etta  had  spoken  quite  steadily,  but 
now  there  came  a  tremor  into  her  voice,  a 
mist  before  her  eyes,  and  a  choking  sensation 
in  her  throat,  that  would  not  let  her  speak. 

He  waited  a  few  moments,  then  said  gently  : 
"  Try  to  tell  me  about  it,  and  I  will  help  you 
if  I  can." 

Encouraged  by  something  fatherly  in  the 
clergyman's  voice,  the  girl  at  last  found  cour 
age  to  commence  her  story  ;  and  having  broken 
the  ice,  her  words  came  fluently  enough,  as 
she  tried  to  make  him  understand  how  utterly 
self-seeking  and  godless  her  life  and  character 
were ;  how  the  temple  that  should  be  God's 
was  barred  against  him,  and  filled  with  idols 
and  idolatry. 

"This  must  be  the  Holy  Spirit's  teachings," 
said  he,  gravely  ;  "  for,  so  far  as  I  know,  you 


TEMPLES.  1 1 7 

are  no  worse  or  more  careless  than  most  girls  of 
your  age." 

But  this  thought  was  no  comfort  to  her 
thoroughly  aroused  conscience,  nor  did  the 
minister  suppose  it  would  be.  He  continued : 

"  Now  that  you  see  how  bad  things  are,  you 
are  going  to  change  them,  are  you  not  ?  You 
will  open  the  barred  doors  that  our  blessed 
Lord  wants  to  enter,  and  let  him  henceforth 
be  your  one  object  of  worship  and  obedience, 
will  you  not  ?  " 

"  How  can  I  ? "  said  the  astonished  girl. 
"  I  can't  make  myself  like  things." 

"No  ;  but  it  is  the  Holy  Ghost  who  desires 
to  come  into  his  holy  temple,  and  where  he 
comes  he  brings  healing,  cleansing,  and  regen 
erating  power.  What  we  have  to  do  is  to 
let  him  do  his  work,  not  hindering  him  by 
our  self-will  and  disobedience,  not  even  trying 
to  feel  as  we  think  we  ought  to  feel." 

"  But  I  am  not  worthy  to  have  him  come  to 
me.  For  seventeen  years  I  have  been  sinning 
against  him  and  grieving  him.  Even  if  I  were 
made  right  all  at  once,  I  could  not  undo  all 
that." 


I  I S  KA  TIE  R  OBER  TS  ON. 

"  But  Jesus  can,"  he  said  solemnly.  "  Have 
you  forgotten  the  cross,  and  all  that  it  means  r 
Have  you  forgotten  that  he  died  to  bear  the 
penalty  of  sin,  and  that  for  his  sake  the 
worst  sinners  can  be  forgiven  ?  We  are  none 
of  us  worthy  to  come  to  him,  or,  which  is 
the  same  thing,  to  have  him  come  to  us  ;  but 
he  is  the  '  propitiation,  sacrifice,  and  satisfaction 
for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world ' ;  it  is  not 
what  you  can  do  or  be,  but  what  he  has  done 
and  is.  Believe  that  he  loves  you,  and  died 
for  you,  and  is  your  Saviour,  and  you  cannot 
help  loving  and  trusting  him  and  letting  his 
Spirit  do  with  you  as  he  will." 

Was  that  all  ?  So  simple,  so  easy,  and  yet  an 
hour  ago  it  had  seemed  so  impossible  to  be 
a  Christian.  She  did  not  speak  for  some 
minutes;  then  she  said:  — 

"  Have  I  nothing  at  all  to  do  ? " 

"  A  great  deal  by-and-by ;  only  one  thing 
to-day." 

"  And  that  is  ?  " 

"To  be  sure  that  you  are  in  earnest,  that  you 
are  thoroughly  ashamed  of,  and  sorry  for,  the 
past,  really  anxious  to  be  delivered  from  sin 


TEMPLES.  I  1 9 

and  made  holy,  and  resolutely  determined  obe 
diently  to  follow  where  God  leads  the  way." 

"  I  believe  I  am  in  earnest,"  said  she,  simply. 
"  Won't  you  pray  for  me,  sir  ?  " 

"Yes,  indeed,  my  child,"  said  the  minister, 
laying  his  hand  on  her  head.  "  God  bless  you, 
and  make  you  very  happy  in  his  love,  and 
useful  in  his  service." 

"  You  will  provide  a  teacher  for  my  class  ? " 
said  Etta,  as  somewhat  later  she  rose  to  take 
her  leave. 

"  Why,  no  ;  unless  you  are  really  tired  of  it. 
I  think  you  had  better  go  on  as  you  have 
commenced." 

"  I  am  not  fit  to  be  a  Sunday-school  teacher." 

"  I  am  not  fit  to  be  a  minister ;  but  God, 
in  his  providence,  has  seen  fit  to  make  me 
one,  and  so  I  trust  him  to  give  me  the  strength 
and  wisdom  I  need.  If  you  will  do  the  same, 
you  will  become  a  very  successful  and  efficient 
Sunday-school  teacher  ;  and  this  is  a  good  way 
in  which  to  consecrate  your  talents  and  oppor 
tunities  to  his  service.  Now,  good-by  ;  I  must 
prepare  for  the  evening  service.  Whenever 
you  want  help,  advice,  or  sympathy,  be  sure 
you  come  to  me." 


I2O  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 

Etta  went  home  in  a  new  world  of  thought 
and  feeling.  She  seemed  to  herself  scarcely  to 
be  the  same  girl ;  but  in  fact  she  was  not  think 
ing  particularly  about  herself.  God's  love  in 
desiring  to  save  sinners,  Christ's  love  in  dying 
for  them,  the  love  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  being 
willing  to  come  and  abide  with  them,  filled  all 
her  soul,  and  she  was  not  trying  to  love  this 
triune  God,  but  loving  him  with  all  her  might, 
because  she  could  not  help  doing  so.  How 
strange  it  is  that  we  go  on  from  year  to  year, 
trying  to  be  better,  trying  to  feel  right,  trying 
to  make  ourselves  holy,  instead  of  just  opening 
the  door  of  the  temple  of  our  heart  and  believ 
ing  that  Jesus  Christ  loves  us,  and  because 
he  loves  us  will  make  us  all  that  he  wants  us 
to  be. 


UNDER  A    CLOUD.  121 


CHAPTER   IX. 

UNDER  A  CLOUD. 

E  AN  WHILE  there  were  some  changes 
at  the  mill.  Katie  Robertson  had 
been  promoted  to  the  folding-room, 
which  was  on  the  lower  floor,  and  where  the 
work  was  not  so  heavy,  though  the  payment 
was  much  better.  She  now  received  seventy- 
five  cents  for  a  regular  day's  work,  and  might 
often  have  made  a  dollar  if  her  mother  would 
have  allowed  her  to  work  a  half  or  quarter  day 
extra.  This  promotion  came  soon  after  the 
occurrence  of  the  fifty-dollar  bill,  which,  no 
doubt,  had  something  to  do  with  the  higher 
place  in  Mr.  James's  estimation,  which  the 
little  girl  held  in  consequence.  He  took 
occasion  to  inquire  of  Miss  Peters  concern 
ing  her  work,  and  heard  such  a  good  account 
of  her  industry,  capability,  and  faithfulness 
that  he  felt  sure  she  might  be  trusted  with 
pleasanter  occupation  and  that  which  needed 
greater  skill. 


122  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

To  enable  our  young  readers  who  have  never 
seen  the  process  of  paper-making  to  understand 
the  change  in  our  heroine's  surroundings,  we 
will  tell  them  in  a  few  words  how  paper  is 
made. 

As,  of  course,  is  universally  known,  rags, 
straw,  old  rope,  poplar  pith,  etc.,  are  the 
materials  used.  The  best  writing-paper  is 
made  of  linen  rags,  which  are  for  the  most  part 
imported  from  Germany.  For  ordinary  writing 
and  printing  paper  cotton  rags  are  used,  while 
straw  and  hemp,  and  even  wool,  go  largely  into 
the  construction  of  manilla  and  wrapping  paper. 
The  linen  rags  and  the  woolen  ones  are 
generally  sorted  out  in  the  places  where  they 
are  gathered,  at  which  time  the  others  are  all 
packed  into  bales,  when,  after  passing  through 
various  hands,  they  are  brought  to  the  different 
paper-mills.  Here  the  bales  are  hoisted  to  the 
top  loft  of  the  building,  where  they  are  broken 
and  their  contents  turned  over  and  over  and 
subjected  to  a  fanning  process  which  removes 
a  large  part  of  the  dust.  They  are  then  passed 
through  slides  down  into  the  rag-room,  where, 
as  we  have  seen,  they  are  sorted,  cut  in  pieces, 


UNDER  A    CLOUD.  123 

and  the  buttons  taken  off.  They  are  cut  again, 
in  the  next  room  to  which  they  are  carried,  by 
a  revolving  cylinder  whose  surface  is  covered 
with  short,  sharp  knives,  acting  on  each  other 
much  like  the  blades  of  scissors.  From  here 
they  are  passed  into  the  interior  of  a  long, 
horizontal,  copper  boiler  containing  a  solution 
of  soda  and  some  other  chemical  substances, 
and  boiled  for  several  days,  at  the  end  of  which 
time,  the  dirt  being  thoroughly  loosened,  the 
boiling  mass  is  passed  through  a  long  slide  into 
vats,  through  which  a  constant  stream  of  water 
is  flowing,  and  so  thoroughly  washed  that  it 
becomes  as  white  as  snow  and  looks  like  raw, 
white  cotton.  It  is  then  taken  into  another 
room,  packed  into  a  "  Jordan  engine,"  and  ground 
into  an  almost  impalpable  pulp.  This  pulp  is 
passed  into  other  vats  thoroughly  mixed  with 
water,  blueing,  and  some  other  substances 
calculated  to  give  it  a  hard  finish,  and  then 
conveyed  by  pipes  to  the  drying-room,  where 
it  is  distributed  over  the  surface  of  fine  wire 
netting  stretched  on  cylinders  and  looking  much 
like  "skim  milk."  It  is  now  passed  from 
cylinder  to  cylinder,  dropping  the  water  with 


124  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

which  it  is  mixed  as  it  goes,  and  gradually 
taking,  more  and  more,  the  consistency  of 
paper.  At  one  stage  —  if  it  is  to  be  writing- 
paper,  which  was  chiefly  manufactured  at 
Squantown  Mills  —  a  certain  amount  of  glue  is 
poured  upon  it  by  means  of  little  tubes  which 
are  over  the  cylinders,  and  this  gradually 
becomes  pressed  into  the  fibre,  giving  the 
paper  the  shining  surface  to  which  we  are 
accustomed.  This  is  called  sizing.  At  another 
stage  the  wire  netting  is  changed  for  a  blanket 
which  passes  over  the  cylinders  and  keeps  the 
weak,  wet  paper  from  friction,  as  well  as  from 
any  chance  of  breaking.  Steam  is  now  intro 
duced  into  the  cylinders,  and  the  drying  process 
goes  on  so  rapidly  that,  at  the  end  of  the  long 
room,  the  pulp  issues  from  between  the  two 
last  cylinders  in  sheets  of  firm,  dry,  white 
paper,  which  are  cut  off  in  lengths  by  station 
ary  knives,  and  caught  and  laid  in  place  by  two 
boys  or  girls  who  sit  at  a  table  just  below.  So 
complete  and  perfect  is  the  machinery  that,  in 
addition  to  the  two  boys,  only  one  man  is 
needed  in  the  room,  and  he  only  to  watch  lest 
either  of  the  machines  gets  out  of  order,  or  lest 
the  paper  should  accidentally  break. 


UNDER  A    CLOUD.  125 

It  is  quite  fascinating  to  watch  the  thin  pulp 
as  it  gradually  becomes  strong  paper,  and  Katie 
one  day  overheard  a  gentleman  visitor,  to  whom 
Mr.  James  was  explaining  the  process,  say 
something  that  she  never  forgot  :  — 

"  It  makes  me  think  of  God's  way  of  dealing 
with  human  souls.  He  takes  them,  polluted 
and  sinful,  from  the  gutters  and  the  slums  of 
life,  cuts  and  fashions  them  till  they  are  in 
a  condition  to  be  used  ;  then  washes  out  their 
stains  by  his  precious  blood,  grinds,  moulds,  dis 
solves,  and  manipulates  them,  till  they  come  out 
pure,  innocent,  white  paper,  on  which  he  can 
write  just  what  he  pleases." 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  James.  "I  have  often 
thought  out  that  analogy,  but  you  have  not 
yet  seen  the  whole  process.  No  saint  is  com 
pleted  till  he  has  gone  through  the  polishing 
and  finishing  of  his  life  and  character.  You 
will  see  how  we  polish  and  finish  our  paper 
in  the  next  room." 

In  the  next  room  were  great  steel  rollers, 
at  each  of  which  two  women  were  employed,  as 
this  work  was  generally  considered  too  hard  and 
steady,  as  well  as  too  particular,  for  the  girls  and 


126  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

boys.  One  of  these  women  places  a  sheet  of 
paper  between  the  rollers  at  the  top ;  the  engine 
turns  them,  carrying  the  paper  round  and  round 
between  them,  and  the  other  woman  takes  it 
out  at  the  bottom,  beautifully  polished  by  the 
pressure. 

It  is  then  carried  in  great  piles  to  the  ruling- 
machines,  which  stand  at  the  other  end  of  the 
room,  and  there  other  girls  and  women  act 
as  "feeders"  and  "tenders."  The  sheets  are 
carried  under  upright,  stationary  pens,  filled 
with  blue  or  red  ink,  and  ruled  first  on  one  side 
and  then  on  the  other,  the  machine  never 
letting  go  of  the  sheets  till  the  ruling  is  per 
fectly  dry. 

The  paper  is  now  finished,  but  it  must  be  pre 
pared  for  being  taken  away  and  sold  ;  so  great 
piles  of  it  are  placed  on  barrows,  and  it  is 
carried  by  the  "lift"  down  to  the  lowest  room 
of  all,  called  the  "folding-room,"  and  this  is  a 
very  gay,  busy  scene. 

Multitudes  of  girls  are  at  work  here,  and 
everything  is  so  clean  that  no  checked  aprons 
or  mob-caps  are  needed.  Some  of  them  count 
out  the  paper,  first  into  quires,  and  then  into 


UNDER  A    CLOUD.  12*J 

reams  and  half-reams.  Others  fold  the  sheets 
with  an  evenness  and  rapidity  that  only  long 
practice  can  give ;  others,  again,  stamp  each 
sheet  in  the  corner  with  a  die  ;  and  still  others 
fold  the  reams  —  after  they  have  been  pressed 
together — into  the  pretty,  colored  wrappers 
prepared  for  them,  sealing  them  with  wax,  and 
putting  the  packages,  two  together,  into  heavy 
brown  papers,  which  are  closed  with  the  label 
peculiar  to  the  special  brand  of  paper. 

There  was  plenty  of  work  for  everybody,  and 
there  was,  moreover,  a  variety,  and  Katie  felt 
very  much  elated  at  her  promotion  when  she 
first  came  into  the  gay,  pleasant  folding-room. 
But  the  poor  girl  was  destined  to  meet  with 
a  very  bitter  disappointment.  Perhaps  the 
most  severe  trial  of  her  life  awaited  her  in  that 
pleasant  room.  She  had  only  been  there  a  few 
days  when  she  became  aware  that  she  was 
looked  upon  with  suspicion.  The  superintendent 
watched  her  closely,  and  carefully  verified  the 
accounts  she  gave  of  her  work.  The  girls  with 
whom  she  tried  to  make  acquaintance  turned 
away,  and  either  answered  her  in  monosyllables 
or  else  declined  speaking  at  all,  and  often  when 


128  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

she  came  in  suddenly  before  work  had  com 
menced  two  or  three  who  were  mysteriously 
whispering  together  would  suddenly  stop  and 
look  curiously  and  strangely  at  her.  Once  or 
twice  she  overheard  some  disconnected  words, 
of  which  the  following  are  specimens  :  "  What 
was  it  really?  "  —  "You  don't  say  so  !  "  —  "  Dis 
honesty  !"  —"I  never  should  have  thought 
it !  " — "Are  you  sure  ?" — "Bertie  Sanderson  !  " 
—  "  She  saw  it  herself,"  etc.  etc.  Katie,  having 
no  key  to  these  disjointed  sentences,  could 
make  nothing  of  them,  but  she  felt  that  she 
was  what  school  boys  call  "  sent  to  Coventry," 
and  had  not  the  least  idea  why. 

The  fact  was  that  Bertie,  whose  jealous 
dislike  was  greatly  increased  by  Katie's  pro 
motion,  while  she  herself  remained  in  the  rag- 
room,  had  uttered  her  innuendoes  to  all  who 
would  listen  to  her,  till  it  was  pretty  generally 
understood  throughout  the  mill  that  Katie 
Robertson  was  a  thief,  who  appeared  in 
unbecoming  finery  bought  with  ill-gotten  gains. 
The  rumor  never  took  sufficient  definiteness  of 
shape  to  reach  the  girl  so  that  she  could 
confute  it  and  explain  its  origin.  Of  course, 


UNDER  A    CLOUD.  1 29 

she  was  not  likely  to  tell  any  one  in  the  mill 
about  the  finding  of  the  fifty-dollar  bill  and 
what  had  passed  between  Mr.  James  Mountjoy 
and  herself,  since  it  was  largely  to  her  own 
credit,  nor  had  he  ever  thought  of  mentioning 
it,  for  a  somewhat  similar  reason.  So  the 
report  traveled  from  one  mouth  to  another, 
losing  nothing  in  its  passage,  and  poor  Katie 
was  obliged  to  endure  the  general  avoidance 
and  reprobation  as  best  she  might.  It  was 
a  hard  trial  and  one  in  which  she  had  no  one 
to  sympathize  with  her,  for  Mrs.  Robertson's 
gloomy  disposition  inclined  her  children  to 
keep  from  her  anything  that  might  add  to  her 
unhappiness,  and  somehow  she  did  not  feel 
like  making  confidants  of  the  boys.  But  hard 
as  the  trial  seemed  in  the  passing,  it  was,  in  the 
end,  good  for  our  heroine,  for  it  drove  her  to 
the  only  Friend  who  knew  all  about  it,  who 
knew  that  she  was  innocent  of  the  charge, 
whatever  it  might  be,  and  pitied  and  loved  her, 
whoever  else  might  cast  her  out.  The  things 
which  drive  us  close  to  Him,  no  matter  how 
hard  they  seem,  are  really  blessings  in  disguise. 
Katie  had  now  but  one  friend  in  the  mill,  a 


130  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

slight,  pale  girl,  who  stood  by  the  folding-table 
next  to  herself.  She  had  only  just  come  to  the 
mill,  was  intimate  with  no  one,  and,  so  far,  had 
not  heard  the  story,  whatever  it  was,  about 
Katie  Robertson.  Her  name  was  Tessa.  Her 
father,  who  had  been  a  traveling  organ-grinder, 
was  taken  sick  and  died  very  suddenly  at 
Squantown.  His  little  dark-eyed  girl,  who 
accompanied  him,  was  left  perfectly  destitute 
and  in  a  most  desolate  condition.  She  was  at 
first  taken  care  of  in  the  poor-house,  but  as  she 
grew  older,  and  it  was  thought  best  that  she 
should  do  something  for  her  own  support,  Mr. 
Mount  joy  had  been  appealed  to,  and  had  given 
her  a  place  in  the  mill.  Not  in  the  rag-room, 
however,  for  she  had  such  a  delicate  constitu 
tion  that  it  was  supposed  she  never  could  stand 
the  dust.  Her  work  consisted  in  pasting  the 
fancy  paper  over  the  edges  of  little  "pads," 
intended  for  doctors'  use  in  writing  their  pre 
scriptions,  and  when  she  was  tired  she  was 
allowed  to  have  a  seat.  She  could  not  make 
much,  but  what  she  diJ  receive  sufficed  to  pay 
for  her  room  in  the  factory  boarding-house, 
and  Tessa  was  as  happy  as  she  could  be 
without  her  father. 


UNDER  A    CLOUD,  131 

The  Italian  girl  had  conceived  a  strong 
admiration  for  our  bright  little  Katie,  and  by 
degrees  the  two  girls  became  great  friends. 
Tessa's  love  was  the  silver  lining  to  the  cloud 
under  whose  shadow  her  companion  lived. 

But  the  heaviest  part  of  the  cloud  was  that 
the  story  reached  Miss  Etta.  She  had  noticed 
the  general  avoidance  of  Katie  by  the  other 
girls  in  her  class,  and  was  very  much  at  a  loss 
to  account  for  it,  for  to  her  this  scholar  had 
always  seemed  the  best  and  brightest  of  them 
all,  and  she  could  see  no  change  in  her 
reverent,  attentive  behavior,  her  carefully  pre 
pared  lessons,  and  her  evident  understanding 
and  enjoyment  of  the  spiritual  truths  which 
they  contained.  This  latter  point  she  could 
appreciate  better  than  before,  and  she  often 
shrank  in  humility  from  attempting  to  teach 
Katie  anything,  feeling  herself  better  fitted  to 
be  the  pupil.  But  the  girls  evidently  did  not 
feel  so.  What  could  be  the  matter? 

One  day,  when  all  had  left  the  Sunday-school, 
except  Bertie,  she  stopped  her  and  asked  her 
directly  why  neither  she  nor  the  other  girls 
were  willing  to  sit  next  to  Katie  Robertson, 


132 


KATIE  ROBERTSON. 


and  why  they  all  looked  at  her  so  significantly 
when  she  came  in  or  went  out. 

Bertie  flushed,  whether  with  joy  or  shame  it 
would  have  been  hard  to  say,  and  at  first  would 
not  answer ;  but  on  her  teacher's  insisting,  said 
that  she  did  n't  want  to  tell  tales,  etc. 

The  young  lady  saw  that  nevertheless  her 
scholar  was  running  over  with  her  secret  and 
longing  for  an  opportunity  to  divulge  it,  and, 
had  she  been  a  little  older  and  more  expe 
rienced,  she  would  not  have  given  her  the 
opportunity.  But  Etta  was  very  curious,  and, 
moreover,  thought  she  had  a  right  to  know  all 
that  concerned  her  Sunday  scholars,  so  she 
waited  until  her  patience  was  rewarded  by  the 
whole  story  —  that  is,  the  version  of  it  that 
Bertie's  vindictive  fancy  chose  to  give. 

She  learned  that  Katie  had  been  seen  by  two 
of  the  girls  in  the  mill  to  steal  a  large  sum  of 
money,  which  she  had  appropriated  to  the  use 
of  herself  and  family ;  that  by  degrees  one 
after  another  had  heard  of  it,  and  that  of  course 
honest  girls  who  had  their  own  way  to  make, 
did  not  like  to  associate  with  a  thief. 

On  being  asked  who  the  girls  were  that  had 


UNDER  A    CLOUD.  133 

seen  the  action,  and  why  they  had  not  at  once 
given  information  concerning  it,  Bertie  declined 
to  give  any  answer  to  the  first  part  of  her 
question,  and  professed  entire  ignorance  con 
cerning  the  latter ;  only  she  said  :  "  All  the  girls 
knew,  and  of  course  couldn't  associate  with  a 
sly  thief,  especially  when  she  gave  herself  the 
airs  of  a  saint." 

Etta  was  very  much  troubled.  She  could  not 
believe  such  a  story  of  her  best  pupil,  and  yet 
how  could  she  contradict  it  ?  Without  names 
and  particulars  she  did  not  know  how  to  set 
about  investigating  the  truth  ;  nor  did  she  like 
to  ask  any  one's  advice,  and  thus  cast  suspicion 
upon  the  child. 


134  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 


CHAPTER   X. 

NOVEI^READING. 

|H  AT  makes  you  so  tired  to-day,  Tessa  ? " 
said  Katie,  one  morning  when  the 
"rules"  allowed  the  girls  to  speak. 

"  I  don't  know ;  I  always  do  feel  so  in  the 
mornings.  It 's  awfully  hard  to  get  up.  Don't 
you  find  it  so  ? " 

"  I  did  at  first,  but  I  am  getting  used  to  it 
now.  By  the  time  I  am  dressed  I  am  wide 
awake  and  fit  for  anything.  I  don't  see  why 
you  should  feel  so;  I  am  afraid  you're  sick." 

"  Oh,  no  ;  only  stupid  and  sleepy ;  I  '11  wake 
up  by-and-by,"  and  Tessa  drew  from  her  pocket 
a  thin,  square  volume  which  was  tightly  rolled 
up.  The  noon-whistles  sounded  just  then,  and 
Katie  saw  her  companion  curl  herself  up  on 
a  box  in  the  corner  and  at  once  lose  herself  in 

her  book. 

t 

She  still  sat  there  when  her  friend  returned, 
rosy  and  refreshed  after  her  warm  dinner  and 
two  brisk  walks,  and,  as  there  were  still  a  few 


NOVEL-READING.  135 

moments  before  work  must  be  resumed,  the 
latter  walked  across  the  room  and  playfully 
took  the  book  from  the  other's  hand. 

"Don't!  oh,  please,  don't!"  said  Tessa. 
"  Time 's  most  up,  and  I  must  know  what 
became  of  Sir  Reginald  !  " 

"You  must  eat  your  lunch.  Look,  here  it 
lies  untasted  beside  you.  Tessa,  you  will 
certainly  be  sick  if  you  go  on  in  this  way." 

But  Tessa  did  not  listen ;  she  had  again 
firmly  grasped  the  book,  and  was  greedily 
devouring  its  contents  quite  dead  to  outside 
things,  till,  the  bell  ringing,  Katie  jogged  her 
shoulder,  and  she  walked  slowly  across  to  the 
table  where  both  girls  worked,  her  eyes  still 
upon  her  book.  There  she  set  it  up,  still  open, 
against  a  pile  of  packages  of  paper,  and  all  the 
afternoon  kept  casting  furtive  glances  at  it, 
often  letting  her  work  drop  and  her  hands  hang 
idle,  while  she  followed  the  fortunes  of  the 
fascinating  Sir  Reginald. 

Katie  was  in  an  agony ;  she  loved  Tessa,  and 
did  not  want  her  to  get  into  trouble,  as  she 
would  certainly  do  if  her  proceedings  should  be 
observed  by  the  overseer.  Besides,  was  it 


136  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

honest  thus  to  use  time  paid  for  by  an 
employer  ? 

But  she  had  no  chance  to  speak  to  her  com 
panion,  for  as  usual  she  finished  her  work 
and  went  home,  and  whether  her  companion 
received  a  reprimand  from  the  overseer  for  not 
having  completed  her  daily  task  she  did  not 
know.  Probably  she  did  not,  for  it  was  an 
understood  thing  that  Tessa  was  not  so  strong 
as  the  other  girls,  and  therefore  so  much  must 
not  be  expected  of  her 

The  next  day  it  was  the  same  thing.  Tessa 
looked  tired  out  before  the  day's  work  began, 
and  well  she  might,  for  she  had  sat  up  nearly 
all  night  to  dispose  of  Sir  Reginald,  and  now 
"The  Fair  Barmaid"  had  taken  his  place. 
Again  the  girl  went  without  the  uninviting 
lunch  she  had  brought  from  her  boarding- 
house,  and  again,  as  before,  the  fascinating 
novel  divided  her  attention  with  her  work. 
This  afternoon  she  was  detected  by  the  over 
seer,  who  spoke  a  few  words  of  reprimand  and 
ordered  her  to  put  the  book  away,  which  she 
did  unwillingly  and  with  heightened  color. 
It  came  out  again,  however,  the  moment  the 


NOVEL-READING.  137 

closing-bell  rang ;  and,  to  make  up  for  lost 
time,  was  assiduously  read  during  the  home 
ward  walk,  and  took  the  place  of  both  supper 
and  sleep  till  almost  daylight  the  next  morning. 
Poor  Tessa !  she  had  inherited  from  her 
ancestry  that  love  of  romance  and  adventure 
which,  in  their  own  sunny  land,  makes  the 
Italians  rival  the  Orientals  in  their  love  of 
hearing  and  telling  stories.  The  more  thrilling 
these  stories  are,  the  fuller  of  passion  and 
crime,  the  better  they  seem  to  suit  the  tastes 
of  these  fervid  and  excitable  natures.  And 
she  was  alone ;  there  was  no  one  to  counsel 
her,  no  one  to  love  her,  no  one  even  to  talk 
to  in  the  long  evenings  she  must  of  necessity 
spend  in  her  bare  room  at  the  factory  board 
ing-house,  hot  and  stifling  in  summer,  cold 
and  bare  in  winter.  She  had  been  taught 
to  read  at  the  poor-house  school  and  a  stray 
dime  novel  happening  to  fall  in  her  way,  her 
imagination,  waiting  for  something  on  which 
to  feed  itself,  seized  upon  the  unhealthful 
food,  and  gratified  taste  quickly  ripened  into 
insatiable  appetite.  The  girl  read  everything 
she  could  lay  hold  of,  and  there  is  always 


138  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

plenty  of  such  literature  close  at  hand  and 
ready  to  be  devoured.  Novels  at  five  cents 
apiece  are  sold  by  the  million  at  country  stores, 
railway-depots,  and  news-stations.  Ephemeral 
in  their  nature,  every  one  who  owns  them  is 
ready  to  lend,  give,  or  throw  them  away,  and 
when  books  fail  there  are  always  quantities 
of  "  story-papers,"  full  of  the  wildest,  most 
improbable,  and  often  vicious  tales. 

Tessa  bought  when  she  had  any  spare 
pennies,  borrowed  and  begged  when  she  had 
not ;  read  by  daylight,  and  twilight,  and  lamp 
light,  sitting  up  as  long  as  the  miserable  board 
ing-house  lamps  would  hold  out,  and  became  so 
immersed  in  her  world  of  romance  as  to  become 
almost  oblivious  to  outward  things. 

To  do  the  little  girl  justice,  she  was  too  inno 
cent  to  understand  half  the  wickedness  which 
in  this  way  was  brought  before  her  notice,  but 
none  the  less  was  she  being  gradually  demoral 
ized  by  this  evil  habit.  Her  appetite  failed,  she 
scarcely  took  any  exercise,  she  became  nervous 
and  excitable  to  a  degree,  her  work  was 
neglected,  and,  worse  still,  she  was  becoming 
familiarized  with  ideas,  suggestions,  and  thoughts 


NO  VEL-READING.  1 3  9 

that  should  never  come  within  the  comprehen 
sion  of  pure-minded  girls.  As  to  her  work, 
she  was  fast  losing  all  interest  in,  indeed  all 
capacity  for,  that,  and  it  was  whispered  among 
her  superiors  that  but  for  her  utterly  friendless 
condition  it  would  be  expedient  to  supply  her 
place  in  the  mill  with  some  more  profitable 
work-woman. 

"Miss  Eunice,"  said  Katie,  at  the  next 
Wednesday  afternoon  meeting,  "  is  it  wicked 
to  read  novels  ? " 

"What  a  wholesale  question,"  said  Miss 
Eunice.  "  It  is  not  wicked  exactly  to  do  a  great 
many  things  which  it  would  be  better  on  the 
whole  to  let  alone  —  tipping  one's  chair  up  on 
two  legs,  for  instance." 

Katie  blushed,  righted  her  chair,  and  said : 
"  I  mean  wrong ;  is  it  wrong  to  read  novels  ? " 

"  Not  all  novels,  certainly ;  that  is,  not  all  fic 
tion.  The  best  writers  of  our  day  throw  their 
thoughts  into  that  form,  and  our  knowledge  of 
history,  philosophy,  science,  and  character  comes 
largely  from  this  source.  Our  Saviour  sancti 
fied  fiction  by  giving  his  highest  and  deepest 
lessons  to  his  disciples  in  parables.  If  you 


140  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

mean  that  kind  of  novels,  read  in  moderation,  I 
should  decidedly  say  no." 

"  She  means  dime  novels,"  said  one  of  the 
girls. 

"Oh,  'Headless  Horsemen'  and  'Midnight 
Mysteries/  fascinating  maidens  carried  off  by 
desperate  ruffians.  I  am  thankful  to  say  that  I 
have  no  personal  acquaintance  with  that  sort  of 
thing ;  but,  girls,  let  me  ask  you  a  few  questions. 
May  I?" 

"  First,  let  all  who  read,  or  ever  have  read, 
what  are  called  '  sensation  stories r  raise  their 
hands." 

A  great  many  hands  went  up  —  more  than 
the  questioner  liked  to  see. 

"  How  many  find  such  books  help  them  in 
their  work,  make  the  factory  seem  pleasanter, 
and  themselves  more  contented  ?  " 

Not  a  hand  was  raised,  and  the  girl  who  had 
spoken  before  said  :  — 

"  I  never  can  work  half  as  wen  in  tne  morn 
ing  when  I  have  been  reading  stories  at  night. 
I  hate  the  sight  of  the  factory,  and  wish  I  was 
a  princess,  or  a  splendidly  dressed  young  lady 
with  oceans  of  gold  and  jewels,  like  those  in  the 
books." 


NOVEL-READING.  141 

"  Another  question  :  Do  books  of  this  kind 
help  you  to  pray,  make  the  Bible  more  interest 
ing,  and  incline  you  to  loving  service  for  the 
Saviour  who  has  died  that  you  might  be 
saved  ? " 

No  one  answered.  The  girls  looked  both  sur 
prised  and  shocked,  and  Miss  Eunice  con 
tinued  :  — 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  dare  say  many  of  you 
remember  times  when  the  thrilling  interest  of 
an  exciting  story  has  made  you  utterly  forget 
your  prayers,  or  at  any  rate  has  made  church 
and  Sunday-school  and  the  homely  duties  of  a 
Christian  life  seem  tame  and  flat  by  compari 
son.  Is  it  not  so  ? " 

Many  bowed  assent. 

"  Now  for  my  last  question  :  Would  you  be 
willing  that  your  fathers  and  brothers  or  the 
young  men  of  your  acquaintance  should  read 
all  of  these  books  with  you,  every  passage,  and 
could  you,  without  blushing,  read  them  aloud  to 
your  pastor  or  to  me  ? " 

No  answer. 

"There  is  another  aspect  of  the  question," 
continued  the  teacher.  "  Your  employers  pay 


142  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

you  a  stipulated  sum  in  return  for  a  certain 
amount  of  work  to  be  done  in  a  certain  amount 
of  time.  They  have  a  right  to  expect  you  to 
give  your  best  skill,  your  closest  attention.  Do 
you  think  it  is  quite  honest  either  to  use  a  part 
of  that  time  in  reading  foolish,  useless,  or  hurt 
ful  books,  or  to  come  to  your  work  so  exhausted 
and  preoccupied  by  them  as  to  be  unfitted  for 
performing  your  part  of  the  contract  ? " 

"I  do  not  desire  to  coerce  you,  or  even  to 
bind  your  consciences  by  any  promise,  but  I 
leave  you  to  consider  all  I  have  said,  and  I 
think  if  you  do  so  honestly  and  prayerfully  you 
will  come  to  the  conclusion  that  for  you  who 
hope  you  have  found  your  Saviour, — nay,  I  will 
say  for  all,  inasmuch  as  you  all  ought  to  be 
Christians,  —  the  reading  of  this  kind  of  books 
and  stories  is  among  those  works  of  the 
flesh  and  the  devil  which  you  are  called  to 
renounce." 

Katie  had  got  the  answer  she  had  asked  for, 
and  besides  she  was  well  furnished  with  argu 
ments  to  bring  to  bear  upon  Tessa  the  first 
opportunity  she  should  have  of  talking  with 
her,  and  that,  she  determined,  should  be  very 
soon. 


NOVEL-READING.  143 

When  the  girls  and  their  escorts  had  gone 
home  that  evening,  the  two  sisters  lingered  to 
talk  a  little  over  the  question  that  had  so 
interested  their  scholars.  It  was  a  new  thing 
for  them  to  have  any  common  interest,  and 
Eunice  hailed  it  as  a  good  omen  that  her  sister 
should  consult  with  her  about  anything.  Etta 
had  not  yet  confided  to  her  elder  sister  her  new 
hopes,  purposes,  and  feelings.  She  was  an 
independent  girl,  who  had  always  thought  and 
acted  for  herself,  and  there  had  never  been  any 
thing  like  sisterly  familiarity  between  the  eldest 
and  youngest  of  the  Mount  joys.  The  distance 
between  them  was  too  great,  and  perhaps  the 
elder,  in  filling  the  position  of  a  mother  to  her 
little  sister,  had  at  first  assumed  a  little  too 
much  of  the  authority  of  one.  She  had  grown 
wiser  now,  and  did  not  attempt  to  force  the 
young  girl's  confidence ;  but  she  could  not  but 
be  conscious  of  a  change.  There  was  an 
increased  gentleness  of  manner  and  sweetness 
of  tone,  a  thoughtful  consideration  of  others, 
and  deference  to  her  own  wishes  which  she  had 
never  seen  before.  Her  continuing  to  attend 
the  Wednesday  meetings,  and  her  serious 


144  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

attention  when  there,  were  good  signs  ;  so  was 
Etta's  voluntary  attendance  at  the  Sunday 
evening  service,  a  thing  that  had  never  hap 
pened  before,  and  Eunice  began  to  hope  that 
the  solemn,  earnest  realities  of  life  would  yet 
become  precious  to  her  light-hearted,  wayward 
sister. 

This  evening  they  talked  over  the  novel 
grievance,  and  the  temptations  to  which  the 
mill-girls  were  exposed,  and  Etta  proposed  a 
plan  for  their  benefit,  which,  when  matured 
and  digested,  besides  being  supported  by  Mr. 
Mountjoy's  purse  and  his  son's  executive 
ability,  eventuated  in  the  conversion  of  an 
unused  loft  in  the  mill  into  a  library  and 
reading-room  for  the  girls  and  such  of  their 
brothers  and  friends  as  knew  how  to  appreciate 
its  benefits  by  behaving  like  gentlemen. 

The  books  were  chosen  with  great  care,  and 
were  the  best  of  their  kind  to  be  had  —  popular 
science,  history,  and  biography,  with  a  large, 
a  very  large,  proportion  of  such  fiction  as  had 
a  tendency  to  elevate  and  instruct,  while  it 
interested,  its  readers.  The  books  were  not  to 
be  taken  from  the  building,  except  upon  rare 


NO  VEL-READING. 


occasions  and  under  peculiar  circumstances ; 
but  the  reading-room,  which  was  nicely  car 
peted,  well  warmed,  and  furnished  with  long 
tables  and  comfortable  chairs,  was  open  during 
the  noon  intermission  and  for  two  hours  every 
evening,  and  good  behavior  was  the  only  con 
dition  demanded  for  enjoying  both  its  social 
and  literary  privileges.  The  library  soon 
became  a  very  popular  institution,  and  the 
sale  and  consumption  of  sensational  literature 
decreased  proportionally. 

Before  separating  for  the  night,  Etta  said : 
"Did  you  notice  the  girl  who  asked  the  ques 
tion  about  novels  ? " 

"  Katie  Robertson  ?  Yes  ;  I  have  had  my 
eye  on  her  for  a  long  time.  She  seems  the 
most  promising  subject  of  your  class." 

"  So  I  have  always  thought ;  but  I  have  had 
a  terrible  disappointment  in  her.  No  one 
would  suppose  it,  but  I  have  recently  heard 
that  she  is  a  thief,  and  that  to  a  large  amount. 
The  child,  innocent  as  she  looks,  has  actually 
stolen  fifty  dollars  from  our  mill." 

"  That  is  absolutely  impossible !  I  will  not 
believe  it.  Who  told  you  so,  Etta  ? " 


146  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

"  One  of  the  class.  Bertie  Sanderson.  She 
was  not  at  all  willing  to  tell  tales  on  her  com 
panion,  but  I  questioned  her  and  found  it  is  as 
I  say.  She  assures  me  that  all  the  girls  know 
about  it,  and  that  two  of  them  —  she  did  not 
give  their  names  —  saw  the  theft." 

"  Why  did  they  not  inform  about  it  at 
once  ? " 

"  So  I  asked  her ;  but  she  did  not  seem  to 
know,  and  also  declined  giving  the  names  of 
the  two  girls.  That  was  a  little  more  honorable 
than  I  gave  Bertie  credit  for  being." 

"A  little  more  deceitful,  possibly,"  said 
Eunice,  who  had  no  high  opinion  of  Bertie 
Sanderson ;  "  yet,  if  she  were  herself  one  of 
these  girls,  she  would,  I  suppose,  have  been 
glad  to  say  so.  Where  do  you  suppose  this 
child  found  fifty  dollars  to  steal  ?  Money  is  not 
kept  loose  around  the  mill,  and  the  girls  do  not 
have  access  to  the  office.  There  is  something 
we  don't  know  about  this,  Etta.  The  subject 
ought  to  be  investigated.  Have  you  spoken 
to  James  ? " 

"No,  I  don't  want  to  prejudice  him  against 
Katie,  if  she  should  be  innocent ;  but  I 


NO  VEL-READING. 


H7 


fear  that  is  hardly  possible,  after  what  Bertie 
said." 

"  I  should  be  more  inclined  to  suspect  Bertie 
herself.  Where  do  you  suppose  she  got  that 
flashy  silk  dress  she  wears?" 

"  Is  n't  it  horrid  !  I  wonder  those  girls  don't 
see  how  vulgar  their  cheap  finery  is." 

"  Perhaps  they  try  to  copy  their  teacher," 
ventured  the  elder  sister,  whose  exquisitely 
neat  style  of  dress  was  always  remarkable  for 
its  plainness  and  simplicity  when  she  came  in 
contact  with  her  Sunday  scholars.  But  Etta 
was  not  yet  sufficiently  humbled  to  take 
reproof  from  that  source,  and  she  abruptly  left 
the  room.  All  the  same,  however,  she  thought 
and  prayed  a  great  deal  upon  the  subject,  and 
the  next  Sunday  surprised  her  class  by  appear 
ing  before  them  without  an  unnecessary  ribbon 
or  ornament. 


KATIE  ROBERTSON. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

TESSA. 

/TIE  ROBERTSON  remained  in  the 
mill  that  Saturday  afternoon,  although 
her  work  had  long  been  completed, 
till  the  bell  rang  for  five  o'clock,  that  being 
the  hour  for  the  Saturday  dismissal.  Then  she 
said  to  Tessa  :  — 

"Come  and  take  a  walk  with  me.  There's 
a  full  hour  before  tea,  and  I  don't  believe  you  've 
ever  seen  the  Fawn's  Leap.  Have  you  ? " 

"No,"  said  her  companion,  "I  have  never 
been  anywhere  in  Squantown.  They  would  not 
let  us  go,  in  the  poor-house,  and  since  I've  been 
in  the  mill  I  've  been  too  tired  after  work  was 
over." 

"  Are  you  very  tired  now  ? " 

"Not  so  very;  I  did  not  sleep  much  last 
night." 

"Was  it  a  very  interesting  story ?"  said  the 
other,  archly. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Tessa,  becoming  at  once  very 


TESSA. 


149 


much  excited;  "she,  Amanda,  I  mean,  married 
the  most  elegant  count,  and  he  took  her  to  his 
castle,  and  she  had  pearls  and  diamonds  and 
silks  and  satins,  and  never  had  to  do  a  thing 
all  the  rest  of  her  life ;  and  only  think,  Katie, 
she  was  a  mill-girl  in  the  beginning,  just  like 
us."  The  sentence  finished  with  a  sigh. 

"  Would  you  like  a  count  to  come  and  carry 
you  off  to  a  castle  by-and-by,  and  give  you  all 
those  things  ? " 

"  Oh,  indeed,  yes ;  when  the  light  goes  out, 
and  I  can't  read  any  more  I  lie  awake  thinking 
about  it,  and  wondering  if  such  a  count  will 
ever  come  along.  He  might,  you  know,  any 
day." 

"  Does  that  make  the  mill  seem  any 
pleasanter  in  the  morning  ? " 

"No  !  no  !  I  hate  the  mill.  It  looks  so  rough 
and  bare,  and  the  girls  all  seem  so  common. 
I  feel  like  crying  to  have  to  spend  so  many 
hours  there." 

"And  then  you  can't  do  your  work  well. 
I  know  just  how  that  feels.  Miss  Eunice  says 
it  isn't  honest  to  do  anything  that  will  unfit 
us  for  the  work  we  are  paid  for  doing." 


150  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

This  was  a  new  definition  of  dishonesty 
to  Tessa,  but  she  only  said:  — 

"Who  's  Miss  Eunice  ?  " 

"Oh,  she's  the  teacher  of  the  Bible-class; 
the  nicest,  most  splendid  lady  in  the  Sunday- 
school,  except,  of  course,  Miss  Etta.  She's  our 
teacher,  you  know,  but  she's  so  young  she  seems 
just  like  one  of  ourselves." 

"Do  you  go  to  Sunday-school?"  said  Tessa 
opening  her  eyes.  "  I  thought  only  little 
children  went.  Father  said  it  was  so  in 
Italy." 

"But  everybody  goes  here.  There's  great 
big  girls,  quite  young  women,  in  Miss  Eunice's 
class.  Tessa, "  said  Katie,  struck  with  a 
sudden  idea,  "what  do  you  do  with  yourself 
on  Sundays  ? " 

"I  read,  "  said  the  person  addressed  ;  "read 
all  day  long.  I  lie  on  the  bed  in  my  room,  and 
forget  how  hot  it  is  and  how  lonely,  and  then 
when  it  gets  dark  I  remember  beautiful  Italy 
and  cry." 

"What  a  lonely  life,"  said  Katie,  sympatheti 
cally.  "  Why  don't  you  go  to  church  ?  " 

"  We  never  went  to  church,  my  father  and  I. 


TESSA.  151 

He  said  the  church  had  ruined  Italy,  and  he 
was  not  a  Catholic  any  more." 

"But  we're  not  Catholics.  Oh,  I  wish  you 
would  come  to  our  church  and  our  Sunday- 
school  !  It 's  just  as  nice  !  —  there's  Miss  Etta, 
and  Bertie  and  Gretchen  and  Cora,  and  two  or 
three  more,  and  on  Wednesday  Miss  Eunice 
invites  our  class  and  hers  to  tea,  and  reads  to 
us,  and  we  have  a  society  and  work  for  missions 
and  —  oh,  it's  so  nice  !  "  said  enthusiastic  Katie. 

"Do  you  go  to  Sunday-school  just  to  have 
nice  times  ? "  and  Tessa  opened  her  black  eyes 
very  widely. 

"  No,"  said  her  friend,  more  soberly;  "  I  think 
I  go  there  to  learn  more  about  Jesus,  and  how 
to  love  him  more  and  serve  him  better.  Some 
of  us  hope  to  join  the  church  soon." 

Tessa  asked  some  questions  that  led  to  a  long 
talk  which  lasted  till  they  had  reached  the 
Fawn's  Leap,  which  was  a  beautiful  little 
waterfall  shooting  down  between  two  high 
rocks,  from  one  of  which  to  the  other  a  fawn 
was  reputed  to  have  sprung.  It  was  a  very 
lovely  spot,  and  the  two  girls  threw  themselves 
upon  the  grass  to  rest,  while  the  Italian  drew 
long  inspirations  of  delight. 


152  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

"  It  makes  me  think  of  home,"  she  said ;  "the 
old  home  in  Italy.  We  lived,  my  father  and  I, 
close  to  a  waterfall  just  like  this,  among  the 
mountains.  After  my  mother  died  my  father 
did  not  want  to  stay  there,  so  he  went  to 
Naples  and  bought  an  organ,  and  we  came  to 
America  in  a  big  ship,  and  wandered  about,  and 
then" — her  voice  broke  down  then  and  she 
said :  "  Oh,  Katie,  I  am  so  lonely !  if  I  only  had 
a  home  like  yours,  with  people  in  it  to  talk  to 
and  to  be  kind  to  me,  I  should  not  want  to  read 
so  many  stories.  I  don't  believe  they  are  good 
for  me."  This  was  in  reference  to  all  Miss 
Eunice's  talk  about  the  evils  of  novel-reading 
as  repeated  by  Katie. 

A  sudden  thought  struck  the  latter. 

"Tessa,"  she  said,  "it  must  be  awfully  lonely 
at  your  boarding-house  in  the  evenings  and  on 
Sundays.  I  wish  you  could  come  and  live  with 
me.  I  have  no  companions  but  the  boys,  and 
to  have  you  would  be  just  splendid." 

"  Do  you  think  I  could  ?  Do  you  think  your 
mother  would  let  me  ?  Oh,  Katie,  you  can't 
really  mean  it ! " 

Katie  had  not  taken  her  mother  into  consid- 


TESSA.  153 

eration.  Of  course,  she  could  not  be  sure  of 
her  approbation  of  such  a  plan,  but  she  prom 
ised  to  ask,  and  went  on  planning  how  nice 
it  would  be  —  how  the  two  girls  could  share 
Katie's  room  and  bed  ;  how  they  could  go  to  the 
mill  together.  "  And  then,"  said  she,  "you 
could  go  to  Sunday-school  with  me,  Tessa." 

But  here  Tessa  drew  back.  She  had  no  clothes, 
she  said,  fit  to  go  to  church  in  —  only  her  work 
ing-dress  and  the  straw  hat  which  she  wore 
every  day  to  the  mill. 

"  Go  in  that.  Miss  Eunice  says  God  does  n't 
care  what  we  wear  when  we  go  to  church." 

"  But  the  girls  do,  and  I  care  more  about 
them." 

This  rather  shocked  Katie,  but  she  did  not 
see  her  way  out  of  the  difficulty,  and  mentally 
resolved  to  "ask  mother"  :  that  way  out  of  all 
difficulties  which  is  first  to  suggest  itself  to  a 
young  girl's  mind. 

"There  is  the  sun  setting,"  said  Tessa.  "It 
must  be  ever  so  late.  I  sha'n't  get  any  supper ; 
they  never  keep  anything  for  us  at  our  boarding- 
house." 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  will !  you  are  coming  home  with 


154  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

me ;  mother  will  have  something  ready  for  both 
of  us.  I  told  her  where  we  were  going,  and 
she  promised  she  would  keep  our  supper  for  us, 
no  matter  how  late  it  was.  Besides,  it  will  be  a 
good  chance  to  ask  her  about  our  plan." 

So  Tessa  consented,  nothing  loth,  and  when 
she  saw  the  fair,  white  cloth,  with  the  clear 
glasses  and  bright,  shining  china,  the  delicate 
slices  of  white  bread,  the  wild  strawberries,  and 
fresh  brown  gingerbread,  and  contrasted  it  with 
the  bare  table,  the  stoneware  badly  chipped, 
and  the  great  piles  of  coarse  provisions,  into 
which  the  boarders  dipped  their  own  knives, 
she  felt  as  though  she  had  suddenly  got  into 
paradise. 

Katie  had  told  the  home  party  about  her 
Italian  companion,  and  her  apparent  friendless- 
ness,  and  all  had  taken  such  an  interest  in  her 
that  when  the  boys  heard  their  sister  ask  and 
receive  permission  to  bring  her  home  to  tea, 
and  their  mother's  promise  to  make  some  soft 
gingerbread,  they  resolved  to  contribute  their 
share  toward  the  festival,  and  the  strawberries, 
to  gathering  which  they  had  devoted  their 
afternoon  holiday,  were  the  result. 


T£SSA.  I55 

It  was  a  very  happy  tea-party.  Katie  was 
in  high  spirits,  her  mother  gentle  and  hospita 
ble,  the  boys  courteous  and  gentlemanly.  Tessa 
had  never  been  in  such  society  before,  and  yet 
there  was  in  her  a  native  grace  and  refine 
ment  —  due,  perhaps,  to  the  artistic  atmosphere 
in  which  she  was  born  —  that  prevented  her 
from  doing  anything  rude  or  awkward,  or  seem 
ing  at  all  out  of  place. 

After  tea  the  boys  brought  out  the  games, 
and  the  visitor  showed  herself  quick  to  learn  and 
eager  to  enjoy.  The  heavy,  half-sorrowful  look 
went  out  of  her  face,  which  became  full  of  fun 
as  her  eyes  sparkled  and  danced,  and  she  pushed 
back  her  long  black  hair. 

When  the  clock  struck  nine  Mrs.  Robertson 
said :  — 

"  It  is  time  for  young  folks  who  have  to  get 
up  early  to  go  to  bed.  The  boys  will  see  you 
home,  dear ;  but  perhaps  you  would  like  to  stay 
and  have  prayers  with  us  first." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  am  sure  she  would,"  said  Katie, 
seeing  that  her  friend  seemed  not  to  know  how 
to  answer  this  proposition.  So  Eric  handed  his 
mother  the  books,  and  she  first  read  a  chapter 


156  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

in  the  Bible,  and  then  kneeling  down,  with  her 
little  flock  around  her,  read  an  evening  prayer, 
commending  them  all  to  the  love  and  protection 
of  their  heavenly  Father.  It  all  seemed  very 
sweet  to  the  visitor,  who  had  never  been  pres 
ent  at  such  a  service  before.  She  could  not 
probably  have  told  how  she  felt,  but  a  longing 
desire  came  over  her  to  stay  where  everything 
seemed  so  near  the  gate  of  heaven,  and  she 
said  impulsively  :  — 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Robertson,  if  you  would  only  keep 
me  always  !  " 

Then  Katie  said  :  — 

"Mother,  why  can't  Tessa  live  with  us? 
There  's  plenty  of  room  for  her  with  me ;  and 
she  has  nobody  belonging  to  her  —  nothing  but 
a  horrid  room  in  the  factory  boarding-house, 
where  nobody  cares  for  her,  and  she  has  to 
read  novels  all  the  evening  and  all  Sunday,  and 
that  makes  her  sick.  It  would  be  so  nice  to 
have  her  go  to  the  mill  with  me  every  day,  and 
to  Sunday-school  on  Sunday  —  only  she  has  n't 
any  clothes  that  are  fit,  and"  — 

"  My  dear,  do  stop  to  take  your  breath,"  said 
the  astonished  mother,  "and  let  me  get  some 


TESSA.  157 

idea  of  what  you  are  talking  about.  Do  I 
understand  that  you  want  Tessa  to  come  and 
live  here  ?  I  should  much  like  to  have  her 
do  so,  my  child,  but  you  know  —  don't  think 
me  unkind,  Tessa  —  that  we  are  poor  people, 
and  find  it  hard  to  fill  the  four  mouths  that 
must  be  filled." 

"Oh,  I  didn't  mean  that,"  said  the  girl, 
timidly,  and  turning  crimson.  "Of  course,  I 
would  n't  let  you  and  Katie  support  me ;  but  I 
could  pay  you  my  board,  just  as  I  do  at  the 
boarding-house.  I  suppose  it  would  be  more, 
but  perhaps  I  could  work  harder  and  earn 
something  extra,  as  some  of  the  other  girls 
do." 

"  How  much  do  you  pay  now  ? " 

"  Two  dollars  and  a  half  a  week." 

"And  you  have  only  three  dollars!  Katie 
makes  five." 

"  Yes,  I  know  ;  she  works  fast.  Perhaps  I 
could  if  there  was  any  use — anything  to  do 
it  for.  I  did  n't  need  any  money.  They  gave 
me  my  clothes  at  the  workhouse,  and  I  bought 
books  with  the  other  half-dollar." 

Both  girls  looked  very  beseechingly  at  Katie's 


158  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

mother,  and  Eric,  who  had  taken  a  great  fancy 
to  the  dark-haired  girl,  added  his  entreaties ;  but 
she  said :  — 

"  I  can  not  answer  you  to-night ;  I  must  think 
about  it  and  pray  over  it.  I  will  let  you  know 
when  I  have  made  up  my  mind.  Now  you  must 
go  home,  dear ;  Eric  will  go  with  you.  Good 
night,  and  God  bless  you." 

Tessa  felt  the  kiss  that  accompanied  these 
words  down  to  the  bottom  of  her  heart.  No 
one  had  ever  kissed  her  before,  so  far  as  she 
could  remember,  except  her  father,  and  she 
longed  most  ardently  to  be  taken  into  this 
home. 

Katie  followed  her  to  the  door  and  whispered  : 
"Tessa,  I  shall  ask  God  to  make  mother  decide 
the  way  we  want  her  to.  You  ask  him,  too. 
You  know  it  says  in  the  Bible  :  '  If  any  two  of 
you  shall  agree  on  earth  as  touching  any  thing 
that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them.' 
But  Tessa  did  not  yet  understand  about  "asking 
God."  She  only  stared  and  bid  her  friend 
good-night. 

The  next  morning  as  she  sat  rather  dis 
consolately  on  the  doorstep  of  the  boarding- 


TESSA.  159 

house,  not  knowing  exactly  what  to  do  with 
herself,  for  in  consequence  of  last  night's 
visiting  she  had  neglected  to  provide  herself 
with  a  new  book,  Katie  came  by  and  greeted 
her  brightly.  She  looked  so  sweet  and  fresh 
in  her  simple  Sunday  dress  that  it  was  not  to 
be  wondered  at  that  Tessa,  in  her  soiled  mill- 
clothes,  again  refused  to  accompany  her  friend 
to  Sunday-school. 

"You  shall  have  my  library  book,  any  way. 
I  don't  care  to  get  another  to-day,  and  mother 
says  you  are  to  come  round  this  afternoon  to 
get  her  answer." 

The  book  was  a  pleasant  story,  and  though  it 
lacked  the  species  of  morbid  excitement  to 
which  the  girl  had  accustomed  herself,  it  filled 
up  the  time  agreeably,  and  gave  her  a  glimpse 
of  a  higher,  purer  plane  of  life  than  any  with 
which  she  was  as  yet  familiar.  Some  precious 
truths  concerning  the  love  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  the  happiness  of  serving  him,  were 
woven  into  it,  and  served  as  the  indestructible 
seeds  which  were  yet  to  ripen  in  the  girl's 
spiritual  life.  At  about  four  o'clock  she  put  on 
her  hat,  and  full  of  mingled  anxiety  and  hope, 


160  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

made  her  way  to  the  corner  house  which 
seemed  to  her  so  much  like  heaven. 

Meanwhile,  Mrs.  Robertson  had  thought  the 
matter  over  in  every  direction.  She  did  not  at 
first  like  the  idea  of  increasing  the  home  party, 
or  of  introducing  into  it  any  element  that 
might  prove  discordant.  She  dreaded  to  have 
Katie  or  the  boys  come  under  any  influence 
that  might  counteract  the  earnest,  religious 
training  she  was  endeavoring  to  give  her 
children.  But  there  seemed  to  be  nothing 
vicious,  or  even  common,  about  Tessa  ;  she  was 
sweet  and  well-mannered,  and  so  friendless  and 
forlorn  that  it  would  be  a  positive  chanty  to 
take  her  in.  Then,  too,  the  girl  had  evidently 
had  no  religious  teaching  and  was  profoundly 
ignorant  about  spiritual  things.  Perhaps  this 
was  missionary  work  sent  to  her  very  hands. 
She  might  at  least  try  it  for  a  while.  The 
board  to  be  paid  would  make  it  possible  to  do 
so,  and  if  the  plan  were  not  a  success,  or  proved 
hurtful  to  her  own  children,  to  whom  she 
owed  her  first  duty,  she  could  but  send  the  girl 
back  to  her  present  lodgings. 

So,   when  Tessa  came  she  was  told,  to  her 


TESSA.  1 6 1 

great  joy,  that  her  request  was  granted,  and  she 
might  commence  her  new  life  on  Monday.  A 
very  serious  motherly  talk  followed,  and  among 
other  things  the  new  boarder  was  obliged  to 
promise  never  to  introduce  sensational  literature 
into  the  house. 

Mrs.  Robertson  agreed  to  take  Tessa  for  two 
dollars  a  week,  on  condition  that  she  would 
assist  Katie  with  the  housework  before  and 
after  mill-hours.  The  half-dollar  a  week  thus 
saved  would  soon  procure  a  simple  Sunday 
outfit,  and  enable  her  to  accompany  her  friend 
to  Sunday-school  and  church. 

Katie,  with  some  of  the  remains  of  her 
precious  fifty  dollars,  insisted  on  advancing 
this ;  and  on  the  first  Sunday  morning  the 
young  Italian,  looking  very  pretty  but  rather 
shy,  took  her  place  in  Miss  Etta's  class,  and 
was  at  once  enrolled  among  its  members. 

Mrs.  Robertson  never  had  cause  to  regret 
her  kind-hearted  decision.  Tessa  was  devotedly 
attached  to  Katie,  and  followed,  rather  than  led, 
her  friend.  She  was  shy  with  the  boys  at  first, 
but  soon  came  to  show  them  the  same  sisterly 
feeling  that  their  sister  did.  Her  wit,  quick- 


1 62  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

ness,  and  power  of  story-telling  soon  made  her 
a  valuable  addition  to  the  family  circle,  while 
the  genial  home  influences  and  good  fare  so 
told  upon  herself  that  her  extreme  delicacy  soon 
disappeared,  and  she  became  capable  of  as 
much  work  or  endurance  as  Katie  herself. 


GRETCHEN. 


i63 


CHAPTER   XII. 

GRETCHEN. 

IERMAN    GRETCHEN    was   absent 

from  the  mill  one  morning.     No  one 
noticed   it    except    Miss    Peters,    who 
marked   her  down   for   one   less    day's    wages. 
The  young  girl,  who  had  drifted  into  the  manu 
facturing   town,  as    so    many  do,  in   search    of 
work,  had  never  been    a   favorite    or   attracted 
particular    attention.       She   was    a   fair   work 
woman,  obeyed  rules,  and  went  her  way  to  the 
boarding-house  when  night  came ;  but  she  made 
no  friends  either  there  or  at  the  mill,  and  it 
would  scarcely  have  been  noticed  had  she  dis 
appeared  altogether.     Somehow  she  had  floated 
into  Sunday-school,  and  been  placed  in  the  class 
which  afterward    became  Etta  Mount  joy's,  but 
here    her    apparent    stolidity    made    her    per 
haps    the    least    interesting   of    all    the    girls. 
Perhaps  this  was  in  part  owing  to  the  fact  that 
one   is    not   likely   to    be   very   talkative   in   a 
strange  language. 


164  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 

But  Gretchen  had  a  heart,  although  no  one 
in  Squantown  had  yet  found,  or  cared  to  find,  it. 
It  was  safe  at  home  in  the  fatherland,  where 
the  house-mother  and  father  had  as  much  as 
they  could  do  to  put  enough  black  bread  to 
support  life  into  the  mouths  of  the  five  little 
children,  too  young  to  do  as  she  had  done, 
when  she  accompanied  a  neighbor's  family,  who 
were  emigrating  to  seek  their  fortune  in  the 
New  World.  These  neighbors  had  gone  to 
the  far  West,  and  not  caring  to  be  burdened 
with  a  possibly  unproductive  member  of  their 
party,  had  left  the  little  girl  in  the  hands  of  a 
German  employment  agency,  through  which 
she  had  found  her  way  to  Squantown  Mills. 

Gretchen  had  many  homesick  hours  when 
she  would  have  given  a  great  deal  more  than 
she  possessed  to  be  at  home  again  sharing  the 
poverty  and  hardships  of  the  Old  World,  but  she 
expressed  her  feelings  to  no  one.  Indeed,  she 
knew  no  one  to  whom  she  could  have  expressed 
them.  She  did  her  day's  work  faithfully,  re 
ceiving  her  regular  payment  of  fifty  cents, 
and  occasionally  a  little  more,  which  little 
she  resolutely  put  away  at  the  bottom  of  her 


GRETCHEN.  165 

box,  to  be  sent  home  to  her  mother  and  the 
little  ones  when  there  should  be  a  good  oppor 
tunity. 

But  now  Gretchen  was  absent  from  her  work 
one,  two,  three,  four  days.  It  was  Miss  Peters's 
duty  to  report  all  absentees  on  Saturday  night, 
and  she  did  so  after  the  hands  had  been  paid  off 
and  gone  home.  The  book-keeper  noted  the 
absence  in  his  pages,  asked  if  work  was  so 
pressing  as  to  make  the  appointment  of  a 
substitute  necessary  or  advisable,  and  being 
answered  in  the  negative  quite  forgot  to  inform 
his  employer  of  the  girl's  absence. 

But  when  Sunday  came,  and  Gretchen  was 
absent  from  the  place  in  the  class  which  she  had 
so  regularly  occupied,  it  was  a  different  thing. 
Etta,  among  her  other  activities,  had  from  the 
first  been  a  good  visitor  of  absentees.  Indeed, 
when  her  scholars  lived  with  their  families,  as 
in  the  case  of  Katie  and  one  or  two  of  the' 
other  girls,  she  had  made  more  visits  and  laid 
down  the  law  more  than  was  quite  agreeable  in 
all  cases.  Now,  with  her  newly  awakened 
sense  of  responsibility  toward  the  immortal 
souls  placed  under  her  charge,  she  had  begun  to 


1 66  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

watch  over  them  as  one  who  must  give  account 
of  their  souls.  She  had  several  times  thought 
of  looking  up  Gretchen,  in  order  to  become 
acquainted  with  her  surroundings,  etc.,  but  had 
not  yet  put  her  design  into  execution,  and  now 
the  girl's  absence  from  the  class  gave  her 
teacher  the  very  opportunity  she  desired. 

As  soon  as  tea  was  over,  in  the  long  June 
twilight,  Etta  put  on  her  hat,  and  walked  down 
the  hill  upon  which  the  grand  house  stood  to 
the  valley,  in  which  was  the  long  row  of  board 
ing-houses  occupied  by  such  of  the  mill-hands 
as  had  no  homes  in  the  place.  It  was  stiflingly 
hot  down  here,  though  it  had  been  cool  and 
fresh  on  the  high  ground  above,  and  the  young 
lady,  who  had  not  often  visited  the  purlieus  of 
the  mill,  felt  as  though  she  could  scarcely 
breathe,  and  did  not  wonder  that  men  sat  at 
the  open  windows  in  their  shirtsleeves,  and 
that  tired-looking  women  seemed  gasping  for 
air.  The  bare  wooden  buildings,  with  their  long 
rows  of  windows  and  doors  all  of  the  same 
pattern  ;  the  smooth,  beaten  yards,  all  just  alike ; 
the  swarms  of  children  making  it  seem  any 
thing  but  Sunday-like  with  their  noise ;  the 


GRETCHEN.  167 

teeming  population,  which  made  the  tenements 
resemble  ant-hills,  and  seemed  to  forbid  any 
idea  of  privacy,  looked  very  dreadful  to  her. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  street  was  a  long  row 
of  brick  cottages,  each  inhabited  by  two  or  more 
families,  the  distinctive  sign  of  each  being  the 
family  pig,  kept,  for  greater  convenience,  in  the 
front  yard,  from  which  odors,  not  the  most 
choice  in  their  nature,  were  constantly  wafted 
across  the  way.  In  the  doorways  of  most  of 
these  lounged  Irishmen  smoking  and  swearing, 
in  some  cases  in  a  state  of  intoxication ;  for, 
although  the  rules  of  the  mill  concerning 
drinking  were  very  strict,  and  no  habitual 
drinker  was  ever  knowingly  engaged  in  it,  it 
was  impossible  to  prevent  the  men  from 
depositing  a  part  of  the  earnings  received 
every  Saturday  night  in  the  hands  of  one  or 
two  liquor-dealers  whom  the  law  licensed  to 
sell  death  and  ruin  to  their  fellow-men. 

How  dreadful,  thought  the  young  lady,  to  be 
compelled  to  spend  one*s  life  in  such  wretched 
surroundings.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  women 
become  hopeless  slatterns,  and  that  the  children 
grow  up  in  vice  and  sin  ?  How  thankful  I  ought 


1 68  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 

to  be  to  the  heavenly  Father  who  has  surrounded 
me  with  such  different  influences  !  how  I  wish 
I  might  do  something  to  raise  and  elevate  these, 
and  give  them  a  few  of  the  blessings  of  which  I 
have  so  many ! 

Etta  Mount  joy  had  grown  since  that  early 
June  Sunday  when  she  had  visited  her  pastor 
in  such  sorrow  and  perplexity.  She  had  read 
and  seen  and  thought  more  and  more  of  the 
wonderful  love  of  our  heavenly  Father  in  sur 
rounding  her  with  so  many  blessings  and  in 
sending  his  only  Son  to  be  her  Saviour  and 
friend.  She  looked  back  upon  the  life  of 
self-pleasing  she  had  so  long  led  with  sorrow 
amounting  to  disgust.  How  could  she  have 
been  so  ungrateful  ?  How  could  she  have 
failed  to  love  One  so  altogether  lovely?  She 
was  learning  now  to  find  pleasure  in  prayer, 
and  the  Bible,  which  had  been  to  her  such  a 
dull  book,  began  to  be  more  interesting  than 
any  story  which  she  had  formerly  devoured. 
And  she  was  trying,  faintly  and  with  many 
relapses,  it  is  true,  to  take  up  her  neglected 
duties,  especially  those  which  had  been  most 
distasteful  to  her,  and  perform  them  steadily 


GRETCHEN.  169 

"  as  unto  the  Lord."  Out  of  all  this  was  spring 
ing  up  in  her  a  desire  to  do  something  for 
Christ  —  something  which  would  be,  if  not  a 
return  for  his  favors,  at  least  a  token  of  her 
gratitude  to  him.  To-night  just  such  an 
opportunity  as  she  had  desired  came  to  her 
hand. 

If  Etta  had  only  known  it,  the  dwellings 
of  the  operatives  at  Squantown  were  palatial 
compared  to  those  into  which  the  working- 
classes  are  huddled  in  cities ;  for  here  the  many 
windows  opened  upon  pure  fresh  air  and  green 
fields,  the  little  yards  were  scrupulously  clean, 
and  vines  clambered  up  the  sides  of  the  doors 
an4  windows,  even  to  the  roofs.  The  fare,  plain 
as  it  was,  was  not  tainted  by  exposure  in  a  city 
market,  or  by  being  hawked  about  the  city 
streets,  and  the  price  of  living  was  no  higher 
than  the  wages  received  in  the  mill  enabled 
the  people  to  pay. 

The  young  teacher  had  the  number  of  the 
house  at  which  her  scholar  boarded  written 
down  in  her  class-book,  and  at  that  number  she 
at  once  knocked.  No  one  came  for  some  time, 
but  at  last  repeated  raps  brought  the  woman 


i;0  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

who  kept  the  house,  and  who  might  perhaps  be 
excused  for  her  want  of  greater  promptitude 
on  the  ground  of  having  so  many  dishes  to  wash 
after  the  boarders'  tea. 

In  answer  to  Miss  Etta's  inquiries  the  woman 
answered  civilly  enough,  for  it  would  not  do  to 
offend  one  of  "  the  family,"  that  Gretchen's 
room  was  the  back  garret;  that  she  believed 
the  girl  had  been  sick  for  a  day  or  two,  but  she 
had  not  had  time  to  look  after  her,  though  she 
had  sent  her  little  boy  up  with  her  meals.  The 
child  could  n't  have  eaten  much,  for  the  tray 
came  down  almost  as  it  went  up.  She  had 
been  trying  to  find  time  to  go  upstairs  all  day, 
and  was  just  meaning  to  do  so  now  that  frer 
dishes  were  done.  She  would  go  up  now,  and 
let  the  young  lady  know  how  her  scholar  was. 

"  Let  me  go  with  you,"  said  Etta ;  but  the 
request  was  only  a  form,  as  the  girl  usually  did 
just  as  she  pleased  without  waiting  for  any 
body's  permission,  and,  indeed,  the  woman  of  the 
house  knew  no  reason  why,  on  this  occasion, 
she  should  not  follow  her  own  inclination. 

Three  flights  of  stairs  were  climbed,  a  long 
narrow  hall,  studded  with  doors  on  each  side, 


GRETCHEN.  i;i 

traversed,  and  Mrs.  Doyle  opened  one  in  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  house,  where,  the  sun 
having  beaten  on  the  sloping  roof  all  the  after 
noon,  the  temperature  was  something  fearful. 
The  room  was  small,  for  Mr.  Mount  joy  had 
built  the  boarding-houses,  and  desired  to  try  the 
experiment  of  each  inmate  having  a  separate 
room  instead  of  a  great  many  men  or  women 
being  herded  together  in  open  dormitories.  It 
contained  simply  a  cot,  a  wooden  chair,  and  a 
table  upon  which  stood  conveniences  for  wash 
ing  and  the  untasted  supper.  On  the  cot  lay 
the  German  girl,  blazing  with  fever  and  tossing 
about  in  the  greatest  discomfort.  At  first  she 
did  not  know  her  visitors,  and  seemed  a  little 
frightened  at  seeing  the  room  so  full.  But  pres 
ently,  recognizing  her  Sunday-school  teacher,  she 
grasped  her  hand  and  drew  her  down  to  the  side 
of  the  bed,  pointing  to  her  German  Bible,  in 
which  she  had  been  trying  to  study  her  Sunday- 
school  lesson. 

Etta  was  touched,  and  began  to  think  there 
might  be  some  interest  in  even  the  plain, 
undemonstrative  Gretchen.  She  bent  down  to 
ask  her  some  questions  about  her  sickness, 


172  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

during  which  Mrs.  Doyle  hurried  to  throw  the 
one  window  wide  open,  and  to  make  the  dis 
ordered  room  fit  to  be  seen. 

"The  child  is  very  ill,  I  am  afraid,"  said  Etta, 
coming  across  to  the  window  and  speaking  to 
the  woman  in  very  low  tones ;  "  don't  you 
think  so?" 

"Yes,  I  am  afraid  she  is,"  said  the  person 
addressed,  uneasily,  for  severe  illness  in  a  large, 
crowded  boarding-house  is  no  light  matter.  She 
and  her  children  were  dependent  upon  their 
boarders,  and  a  sudden  panic  might  empty  the 
house. 

"  Can't  you  send  for  a  doctor,  Mrs.  Doyle  ? 
Papa  will  gladly  pay  him,  I  know." 

"  Yes  ;  Johnny  could  run,  I  suppose,  but  he  'd 
be  sure  to  tell  somebody,  and  I  would  n't  like 
it  to  get  about  till  we  know  what  it  is,  any 
way." 

"  Please  go  yourself,  then.  It 's  after  tea,  and 
there  is  n't  much  to  do." 

"  But  suppose  the  girl  gets  worse,  and  begins 
to  scream  and  frightens  the  boarders." 

"  Oh,  I  '11  stay  with  her  till  you  come  back. 
I  'd  rather ;  I  shall  be  so  anxious  to  hear  what 


GRETCHEN.  173 

the   doctor   says.     Please  go,  Mrs.    Doyle,  and 
hurry." 

Etta  Mount  joy  had  a  way  with  her  that 
could  not  be  resisted  by  most  people,  and  even 
Mrs.  Doyle,  not  overgifted  with  the  milk  of 
human  kindness,  could  not  refuse  her.  So  she 
went  downstairs,  and  only  stopping  to  put  on 
her  bonnet  and  tell  her  eldest  daughter  to 
go  on  with  the  preparations  for  breakfast,  - 
which  always  had  to  be  made  over  night,  —  as 
she  was  going  out  for  a  little  while,  walked 
swiftly  down  the  street. 

Etta  sat  on  the  hard  chair  by  the  patient's 
bed,  and  for  some  time  watched  the  tossing 
limbs,  heavy  breathing,  and  flushed,  excited 
face.  She  was  not  used  to  sickness.  Indeed, 
she  had  never  seen  it  since  her  mother  died, 
so  long  ago  that  she  could  not  remember  the 
pain  and  the  suffering,  but  only  the  terrible 
results,  which  were  pale,  cold  death,  the  coffin, 
the  funeral,  and  the  grave. 

Did  all  severe  sickness  end  in  death,  she 
wondered  ?  Was  this  strong,  healthy  girl  about 
to  die  ?  And  if  so,  was  she  ready  ?  She  had 
never  thought  of  the  possibility  of  death  in 


174  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

connection  with  any  of  her  scholars.  Had  she 
taught  them  the  things  which  alone  could 
be  of  value  to  them  when  they  came  to  stand 
face  to  face  with  a  holy  God  ?  What  advantage 
then  would  be  familiarity  with  dates,  with  geog 
raphy,  and  with  catechisms  ?  How  would  they 
then  blame  her  for  not  having  pointed  them 
to  the  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sins 
of  the  world?  The  responsibility  of  under 
taking  to  deal  with  human  souls,  upon  which 
she  had  so  thoughtlessly  rushed,  now  seemed 
to  her  something  terrible.  True,  she  had  not 
then  known  or  understood  anything  about 
it ;  but,  nevertheless,  it  now  seemed  to  her 
a  great  sin,  and  an  earnest  prayer  ior  forgive 
ness  rose  up  from  her  heart,  accompanied  by 
another  for  the  salvation  of  the  sick  girl  before 
her. 

Meanwhile  the  moments  rolled  slowly  by: 
the  sick  girl  tossed  and  moaned;  the  church- 
bells  rang  for  evening  service,  first  merrily,  as 
glad  to  call  the  people  to  the  house  of  God; 
then  slowly,  as  loth  to  stop  while  any  more 
stragglers  might  be  induced  to  come  ;  then  with 
one  or  two  long  sobs  for  those  who,  in  spite 


GRETCHEN.  175 

of  all  persuasion  and  all  "long-suffering 
patience,"  wilfully  stay  outside,  stopped,  and 
the  silence  was  only  broken  by  the  shouts  of 
the  noisy  children  below.  Even  these  ceased 
at  last,  and  as  the  sunset  glow  faded  —  flame 
red  changing  to  pale  yellow,  and  that  again 
to  cool,  sombre  gray  —  the  time  of  waiting 
seemed  to  the  unskilled  watcher  well-nigh 
interminable. 


176  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

SHIP-FEVER. 

JRESENTLY  Gretchen  spoke.  Her 
voice  was  thick,  her  accent  even  more 
foreign  than  usual,  and  at  first  the 
listener  could  not  understand  the  words.  But 
she  put  her  ear  close  down  to  the  bed  and 
made  out  :  — 

"  Miss  Etta,  am  I  going  to  die  ? " 

"I  don't  know,"  said  Etta,  bewildered;  "  I 
hope  not." 

"I'm  not  afraid,"  said  the  German,  "but  — 
but  it  looks  all  so  strange  and  dark.  You  did  n't 
use  to  tell  us  about  Jesus,  and  I  could  n't  rightly 
understand  the  minister  ;  but  don't  it  say  here" 
putting  her  hand  upon  the  Bible  by  her  side, 
"that  he  will  save  everybody  that  comes  to 
him  ?"  Her  teacher  nodded.  "  Coming  to  him 
is  asking  him,  is  n't  it  ?  "  Another  nod.  "  Then, 
please,  Miss  Etta,  ask  him  for  me.  I  can't. 
I  can't  seem  to  think.  Ask  him  now." 

Poor  Etta!  never  in  her  life  had  she  be<  n  ro 


SHIP-FE  VER.  I  7  7 

confused.  She  had  only  just  learned  to  pray  for 
herself.  She  had  not  yet  overcome  the  reticence 
which  we  all  feel  concerning  our  own  interest 
in  spiritual  things  sufficiently  to  tell  her  own 
sister  of  her  experience  and  purpose — how  could 
she  bring  herself  to  do  this  hard  thing  which 
her  scholar  asked  of  her  ?  But  the  scholar  had  a 
human  soul,  and  that  soul  might  be  very  near  to 
eternity.  How  could  she  refuse  to  do  this  thing 
which,  by  the  very  nature  of  her  position  toward 
her,  the  scholar  had  a  right  to  ask  ? 

Then  an  idea  struck  her,  and  opening  her 
hymn-book,  —  for  she  had  expected  to  attend  the 
evening  service  after  ascertaining  the  cause  of 
her  scholar's  absence,  — she  knelt  close  to  the 
window,  and  in  the  fast-fading  light  read  in  a 
tone  of  reverent  supplication  the  hymn  com 
mencing,  — 

"Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea, 
But  that  Thy  blood  was  shed  for  me, 
And  that  Thou  biddest  me  come  to   Thee, 
Oh,  Lamb  of  God,  I  come ! " 

Every  word  of  the  hymn  was  prayer,  and  Etta 
felt  grateful  for  this  help  in  doing  what  would 
have  otherwise  seemed  to  her  impossible.  She 


178  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

threw  her  whole  soul  into  the  last  line  of  each 
verse,  and  could  not  but  hope  that  Gretchen, 
who  lay  quite  still  now,  though  saying  nothing, 
was  following  and  saying  in  her  heart,  — 

"Oh,  Lamb  of  God,  I  come!" 

After  this  there  was  silence  and  darkness, 
and  Etta  continued  to  kneel  with  her  face 
hidden  on  the  window-sill,  praying  silently  that 
God  would  indeed  save  this  soul,  teaching  it 
that  which  heretofore  she  had  been  unable  and 
unworthy  to  teach.  The  effort  at  obedience  to 
what  was  so  evidently  her  duty  had  greatly 
strengthened  the  girl ;  she  felt  that  God  was 
with  her  in  the  still  room,  and  the  glad  joy  of 
those  who  against  their  own  inclinations  work 
for  him  began  to  spring  up  in  her  soul. 

The  doctor  and  Mrs.  Doyle  found  her  thus, 
and  springing  to  her  feet,  Etta  came  over  to 
the  bed  to  hear  what  the  former  thought  about 
Gretchen. 

Judging  from  Mrs.  Doyle's  account,  the  doctor 
seemed  inclined  to  make  light  of  the  case,  until 
he  had  made  a  careful  investigation,  and  then 
he  looked  very  grave,  and  asked  where  the 


SHIP-FE  VER.  I  79 

patient  had  come  from,  and  how  long  she  had 
been  in  this  country.  Hearing  that  it  was 
nearly  a  year  since  she  crossed  the  ocean,  and 
that  she  had  worked  for  eight  months  in  Squan- 
town  Paper  Mill,  he  looked  still  more  puzzled, 
and  finally  said  :  — 

"  I  really  can't  account  for  it,  but  it  certainly 
is  a  case  of  ship-fever  ;  a  very  bad  case,  too." 

Mrs.  Doyle's  consternation  was  extreme.  She 
muttered  something  about  having  her  children 
to  care  for,  shut  the  door  tight,  and  went 
hastily  downstairs,  leaving  the  doctor  and  the 
delicately  bred  young  girl  to  decide  what  was 
to  be  done  in  the  situation. 

Doctor  Bolen  looked  at  his  companion  in 
somewhat  quizzical  perplexity.  Here  was  a 
patient  dangerously  ill  with  a  contagious  dis 
order,  at  the  top  of  a  house  swarming  with 
human  beings.  She  must  have  care  and  close 
watching,  and  the  only  person  within  reach  to 
give  it  was  a  girl  whose  gay  light-heartedness 
and  instability  were  well  known  in  the  town. 
Had  she  known  what  to  do,  she  was  too  young 
and  delicate  for  such  a  task.  And  should  she 
take  the  infection  —  what  then  ?  Would  the 


igO  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

wealthy  mill-owner  thus  expose  his  younges 
child,  and,  as  every  one  knew,  his  idol  ? 

"  I  must  get  hold  of  some  responsible  per 
son,"  he  said  at  last,  aloud,  but  more  to  himsel 
than  to  his  companion.  "But  whom  ?  I  don' 
know  of  a  nurse  that  would  come  even  from  tru 
city.  Besides,  it  would  cause  a  panic  to  do  sc 
and  a  panic  is  the  most  likely  thing  in  th< 
world  to  cause  the  infection  to  spread.  Mrs 
Doyle,  it  is  clear,  is  frightened  out  of  he 
senses,  and  she  can't  be  expected  to  risk  he 
children  and  her  livelihood  for  a  stranger.  On< 
of  the  Irishwomen  across  the  way  might  tak< 
care  of  her  for  money  ;  but  then  she  'd  talk,  an< 
the  whole  gang  would  be  frightened.  I  don' 
really  know  which  way  to  turn."  But  Ett; 
answered  instantly  with  the  intuitive  perceptioi 
for  which  she  was  noted  :  — 

"  There  's  Eunice." 

Why  had  he  not  thought  of  it  ?  Eunic< 
Mountjoy,  with  her  calm,  cool  head,  he: 
perfect  unselfishness,  her  entire  devotion  t( 
the  good  of  others ;  Eunice,  who  was  knowr 
and  blessed  wherever  throughout  the  village 
there  was  sickness,  suffering,  or  want ;  Eunice 


SHIP-FEVER.  l8l 

who  had  many  a  time  helped  him  out  of  a  per 
plexity,  —  Eunice  was  the  very  person.  But  how 
should  he  get  hold  of  her  ? 

"  I  will  go,"  said  Etta,  to  whom  he  expressed 
the  wonder. 

"No!  You  are  too  young,  and  at  the  same 
time  too  old,  to  go  through  this  manufacturing 
village  alone  after  dark." 

"Then  you  go,  and  I  will  stay  here,  for  I 
suppose  Gretchen  must  not  be  left  alone." 

"  Of  course  not.  She  may  become  delirious 
at  any  moment,  and  there  is  no  saying  what 
she  may  do.  She  does  not  know  us  now. 
Would  not  you  be  afraid  to  stay  with  her?" 

"  No,"  said  Etta,  steadily.  "  Tell  me  just  what 
to  do  and  I  will  do  it." 

"  But  you  might  take  the  infection.  Have 
you  thought  of  that  ? " 

"  God  will  take  care  of  me,"  said  she,  with 
a  rising  color ;  and  the  doctor,  remembering 
how  he  had  found  her,  thought  that  perhaps  he 
could  not  do  better  than  to  leave  her  under 
such  protection. 

He  was  gone  a  long  time,  a  very  long  time,  it 
seemed  to  Etta,  whose  patient  became  very 


I  82  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

restless  and  needed  constantly  to  be  soothed 
and  coaxed  back  to  bed  when  she  sprang  up 
and  insisted  —  in  German  —  on  going  to  her 
mother.  Her  teacher,  at  such  times,  bathed 
her  face  with  the  warm  water  the  doctor  had 
brought,  or  gave  her  a  sip  of  cold  water  which 
had  been  left  when  the  tea-tray  was  carried 
away,  spoke  to  her  in  soothing  tones,  and 
finally  sang  hymns,  which  seemed  to  quiet  her 
better  than  anything  else.  She  had  sung  all 
she  knew  and  was  commencing  the  repertoire 
over  again,  when  a  heavy  step,  followed  by  a 
lighter  one,  came  along  the  passage,  and  pres 
ently  Dr.  Bolen  appeared,  followed,  not  by 
Eunice,  as  her  sister  had  expected,  but  by  Katie's 
mother,  Mrs.  Robertson !  There  was  no  time 
for  questionings.  The  doctor  gave  Mrs.  Rob 
ertson  his  directions,  and  then,  leaving  the 
patient  to  her,  he  took  the  young  girl's  arm  and 
led  her  from  the  room,  down  the  stairs,  and  out! 
into  the  street,  where  the  cool  night  air  seemed 
wonderfully  refreshing. 

"  I  would  not  have  exposed  you  thus/'  he  said, 
"if  there  had  been  any  other  way.  Do  you 
feel  very  tired,  very  much  exhausted  ? " 


SHIP-FEVER.  I  §3 

"Oh,  no,"  she  said  bravely,  for  the  air  had 
greatly  revived  her.  "  I  don't  believe  it  will 
hurt  me  a  bit.  It 's  time  I  learned  to  do  some 
thing  besides  amuse  myself,  you  know.  I  've 
never  been  of  much  use  in  the  world  yet,  but  I 
mean  to  be." 

"  You  have  great  capacities  and  opportunities 
for  usefulness,"  said  he,  gravely,  "but  you  know 
none  of  us  is  sufficient  for  these  things." 

"  I  am  asking  God  to  help  me,"  she  said  in 
a  low  tone.  "  Don't  you  think  he  will  ?  " 

"  No  one  ever  sought  his  help  in  vain.  I  am 
glad  you  are  setting  out  in  the  right  way.  All 
success  be  with  you.  Now  you  must  attend  to 
my  directions  and  obey  me  exactly.  As  soon  as 
you  get  home  take  off  every  garment  you  have 
on  ;  throw  away  or  burn  up  everything  that 
can't  be  washed,  take  a  warm  bath,  and  go  to 
sleep  as  soon  as  you  can,  and,  remember,  you 
are  not  to  go  near  my  patient  again  till  I  give 
you  permission.  Will  you  promise  ?  " 

Then  he  told  her  how  sensibly  Eunice  had 
planned  that  Mrs.  Robertson,  who  often  went 
out  to  nurse  the  sick,  should  be  engaged  to 
take  care  of  Gretchen  ;  that  to-morrow  a  certain 


184  KATIE  ROBERTSON, 

empty  house  belonging  to  Mr.  Mountjoy  should 
be  fitted  up  as  a  temporary  hospital,  and  the 
sick  girl  moved  there  that  the  battle  of  life  and 
death  might  be  fought  where  there  were  not 
crowds  of  people  to  take  the  infection.  He 
also  cautioned  Etta  not  to  spread  a  report  con 
cerning  the  nature  of  Gretchen's  disease,  as  a 
panic  might  result  which  would  be  not  only 
deleterious  to  her  father's  business  interests, 
but  also  disastrous  to  the  lives  of  multitudes  of 
the  employees  of  the  mill. 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  door  of 
Etta's  home,  and  Dr.  Bolen  bade  the  girl  good 
night,  after  reiterating  his  directions. 

Eunice  came  to  her  sister's  room  that  night 
after  she  was  in  bed  to  see  if  the  doctor's 
orders  had  been  complied  with.  She  gave  her 
such  a  caress  as  her  undemonstrative  nature 
rarely  gave  way  to,  and  it  somehow  opened 
Etta's  heart  and  mouth  as  well.  A  long  talk 
followed,  and  Eunice  heard  a  great  deal  that 
made  her  very  happy  to  hear.  Etta  begged  her 
pardon  for  the  many  times  she  had  refused 
obedience  to  one  standing  toward  her  almost  in 
the  position  of  a  mother,  and  promised  to  be 


SHIP-FB  VER.  185 

more  docile  and  helpful  for  the  future.  Both 
felt  that  the  sisterly  bond  which  had  been,  so 
weak  between  them  was  linked  afresh  to-night, 
and  that  they  were  now  sisters  in  reality  because 
they  were  one  in  Christ. 

The  next  day  Eunice's  plan  was  fully  carried 
out.  The  vacant  house,  which  had  been  for 
some  months  without  a  tenant,  was  swept  out 
and  furnished  with  a  few  necessary  articles,  and 
Gretchen,  now  entirely  delirious,  was  taken 
there  in  a  close  carriage,  and  Mrs.  Robertson 
established  as  resident  nurse.  The  good 
woman  fretted  and  grumbled  a  good  deal  at 
leaving  her  home  and  her  children,  —  whom,  of 
course,  she  could  not  see  for  a  long  time,  —  but 
she  was  a  good  woman  in  spite  of  her  grum 
bling.  She  was  a  very  experienced  nurse,  and 
here  was  service  for  the  Master  from  which  she 
dared  not  turn  away.  Katie,  assisted  by  Tessa, 
was  fully  competent  to  manage  the  house  and 
cook  what  they  and  the  boys  needed  to  eat,  so 
she  resolutely  accepted  the  trust. 

Eunice  and  Etta  went  down  to  the  empty 
house  early  in  the  morning,  and  both  worked 
hard,  with  a  woman  who  had  been  hired  to  do 


1 86  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

so,  to  get  the  rooms  in  readiness,  but  when  all 
was  prepared,  they  went  home,  for  Dr.  Bolen 
said  there  was  no  use  for  either  to  be  unnec 
essarily  exposed  to  infection.  He  did  not  want 
more  patients  than  were  sent  him  in  the 
natural  course  of  events. 

Great  pains  were  taken  to  keep  the  whole 
matter  quiet.  Katie  and  Tessa  and  the  boys 
were  cautioned  not  to  speak  about  it,  and  the 
removal  of  the  patient  was  effected  during  the 
forenoon  when  all  the  factory  "hands"  were 
safe  in  the  mill.  But  the  precautions  were  use 
less.  Before  the  next  night  there  were  four 
more  patients  in  the  temporary  hospital,  all 
from  the  rag-room,  and  the  consternation 
was  extreme.  Many  refused  to  work,  and  the 
mill  was  in  danger  of  being  forced  to  stop  just 
in  the  middle  of  filling  some  very  important 
contracts,  when  the  doctor,  taking  his  own  life 
in  his  hands,  as  doctors  must,  made  a  thorough 
investigation  of  the  rag-room,  where  all  the 
cases  had  occurred,  and  found  the  contagion  to 
be  in  a  bale  of  rags  imported  from  Ireland, 
which  had  riot  received  the  usual  overhauling 
before  being  brought  to  the  mill.  These  were 


SHIP-FEVER.  187 

all  collected  and  burned,  and  the  room  thor 
oughly  fumigated,  the  operatives  receiving  full 
wages  for  the  days  they  were  thus  shut  out 
from  work,  and  one  good  result  of  the  fever  was 
that  henceforth  the  bales  were  all  opened  and 
smoked  in  a  separate  building  before  they  ever 
entered  the  mill  at  all. 

The  contagion  did  not  spread  any  farther 
after  this,  and  the  hands  returned  without  more 
delay  to  the  mill.  Mr.  Mount  joy  sent  to  the 
city  for  an  experienced  hospital  nurse,  and 
promised  to  pay  all  the  expenses  of  the  illness, 
in  addition  to  the  wages  of  those  who  were  thus 
prevented  from  earning  anything.  The  "hos 
pital  "  was  supplied  from  the  kitchen  of  the 
"great  house,"  and  both  Eunice  and  her  young 
sister  found  full  occupation  in  the  preparation 
of  dainties  and  food  for  the  sick. 

The  interest  in  the  five  sick  girls  was  in 
tense,  and  when  one —  a  poor,  sickly  little 
thing  —  died,  every  one  felt  as  though  death  had 
come  very  close,  and  many  were  compelled  to 
listen  to  the  voice  which  said :  — 


Prepare  to  meet  thy  God." 


1 88  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

GOOD   FOR   EVIL. 

1ERTIE  SANDERSON  has  not  been 
in  the  mill  for  a  week,"  said  Tessa  to 
Katie,  as  the  two  friends  walked  home 
together  one  hot  afternoon.  "  One  of  the  rag- 
room  girls  said  so.  I  wonder  if  she  has  the 
fever  !  " 

" That's  not  likely;  the  girls  are  all  getting 
better,"  said  her  companion. 

"  Yes  ;  but  she  's  been  absent  for  more  than 
a  week,"  persisted  Tessa.  "  Let 's  go  round 
that  way  and  inquire." 

But  Katie,  somehow,  shrank  from  this. 
While  she  knew  nothing  with  absolute  cer 
tainty,  she  could  not  help  feeling  that  Bertie 
was  in  some  way  connected  with  the  general 
avoidance  of  herself  by  the  girls  of  the  Sun 
day-school  class,  and  the  evident  suspicion  with 
which  both  Miss  Eunice  and  Miss  Etta  re 
garded  her.  What  her  former  companion  could 
have  said  or  done,  she  had  no  idea;  but  the 


GOOD   FOR  EVIL.  189 

sense  of  an  undefined  something  had  made  her 
of  late  keep  as  far  as  possible  from  Bertie. 
She  was  about  to  say  with  her  usual  impul 
siveness  :  — 

"  No ;  I  hate  Bertie !  Don't  let 's  go  near  her," 
when  she  remembered  all  her  purposes  of  doing 
Tessa  good  and  setting  her  a  Christian  example. 
Is  it  Christian  to  cherish  a  dislike  of  another 
because  one  has  reason  to  suppose  that  other 
has  done  one  an  injury?  Katie's  enlightened 
conscience  knew  it  was  not.  It  was  not  like 
him  who  said  :  — 

"  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse 
you,  and  pray  for  them  which  despitefully 
use  you  and  persecute  you  ; "  and  who,  by 
acting  in  strict  accordance  with  his  own 
teachings,  "left  us  an  example  that  we  should 
follow  in  his  steps." 

For  a  few  moments  the  little  girl  said  noth 
ing  as  she  walked  silently  by  the  side  of  her 
companion ;  then,  having  during  those  silent 
moments  sent  up  an  earnest  prayer  that  the 
hateful  feelings  might  be  taken  away  from  her 
heart,  that  so  she  might  become  more  like 
Christ,  she  answered  by  turning  her  steps  in 
the  other  direction. 


190  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

The  two  girls  found,  as  Tessa  had  suggested, 
that  Bertie  had  indeed  taken  the  fever,  and  was 
very  ill  in  her  own  comfortable  home.  Dr. 
Bolen  had  suggested  her  being  removed  to 
the  temporary  hospital,  and  being  cared  for 
by  the  competent  nurses  there  ;  but  her  mother 
would  not  hear  of  it.  She  was  always  a  very 
foolish  woman,  had  been  very  much  opposed 
to  her  daughter's  going  into  the  mill,  and  now 
told  her  husband  that  this  fever  was  all  the 
result  of  his  obstinacy,  and  she  hoped  he 
enjoyed  having  murdered  his  own  child.  Now, 
however,  she  meant  to  have  her  own  way.  Her 
Bertie,  who  was  every  bit  as  good  as  the  city 
young  ladies,  her  cousins,  was  not  to  go  to  an 
empty  house  and  be  nursed  with  a  lot  of  common 
mill-girls.  If^her  mother  could  n't  take  care  of 
her,  she  should  like  to  know  who  could  —  which 
would  have  been  unanswerable  if  Mrs.  Sand 
erson  had  known  how  to  nurse  anybody  — 
a  thing  of  which  she  was  profoundly  ignorant. 
So  poor  Bertie  had  a  hard  time  of  it,  and  daily 
grew  worse  instead  of  better ;  and  as  if  this 
were  not  enough,  Mrs.  Sanderson  never  thought 
of  isolating  the  patient,  or  of  keeping  the  other 


GOOD  FOR  EVIL.  19 1 

children  from  her,  and  before  long  the  third 
child,  a  boy  of  six  years  old,  was  taken  down 
with  the  fever  also,  and  the  incompetent  mother 
had  her  hands  more  than  full  with  the  care 
of  her  house,  the  two  patients,  and  two  fretful, 
badly  trained  little  children,  with  only  Nina, 
who  had  never  been  taught  to  do  anything  in 
the  world,  to  help  her. 

Matters  were  in  this  state  on  the  evening 
when  the  girls  called,  and  poor  Mrs.  Sanderson, 
coming  to  the  door,  without  an  atom  of  prudence 
or  caution,  insisted  on  dragging  in  Katie  at  least, 
because  in  her  wild  delirium  Bertie  had  been 
incessantly  shouting  her  name.  Katie  was  im 
pulsive,  not  very  old  or  experienced,  and  had, 
moreover,  been  always  taught  to  obey  grown 
people,  so  without  a  thought  of  possible 
danger  to  herself,  she  followed  the  woman 
into  the  house,  while  Tessa  waited  for  her  out 
side,  and  was  soon  standing  by  the  bedside 
of  her  old  acquaintance. 

She  would  never  have  known  Bertie  Sander 
son.  The  long,  disorderly  hair,  as  well  as  the 
disfiguring  "bangs,"  had,  by  the  doctor's  orders, 
all  been  shaved  off;  the  round,  rosy  cheeks 


192  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

were  pallid  and  sunken  ;  the  solid  frame  was 
wasted  almost  to  a  skeleton,  and  there  was  a 
fierce,  wild  look  in  the  eyes  alternated  with 
an  expression  of  intense  fear. 

Katie  stood  aghast,  and  even  as  she  looked 
the  wasted  lips  suddenly  shrieked  out :  — 

"Katie,  Katie  Robertson!  Send  her  here. 
I  want  to  tell  her  something." 

"  I  am  here,"  said  Katie,  as  soothingly  as  she 
could,  for  her  fright. 

But  Bertie  took  no  sort  of  notice  of  her ;  evi 
dently  did  not  recognize  her  at  all,  and  went 
on :  — 

"  It  was  n't  a  lie !  I  did  see  her  find  it  and 
put  it  in  her  pocket.  That 's  being  a  thief,  is  n't 
it  ?  It  was  money  —  a  great  deal  of  money. 
I  saw  a  five  and  a  nought.  It  was  n't  a  lie,  I 
tell  you !  She  did  steal  it  !  Katie 's  a  thief, 
for  all  she  's  so  saintly." 

Katie  started.  This,  then,  was  the  mystery  ; 
this  was  the  secret  thing  that  had  been  setting 
so  many  against  her.  She  had  never  in  all  her 
speculations  concerning  the  general  avoidance 
thought  of  this  as  a  cause.  Bertie  must  have 
seen  her  find  that  fifty-dollar  bill  and  put  it  in 


GOOD  FOR  EVIL.  193 

her  pocket.  But  even  if,  from  mere  idleness, 
she  had  repeated  the  story  to  her  companions, 
had  she  told  simply  what  she  really  saw,  could 
it  be  called  stealing  ?  And  if  Miss  Eunice  or 
Miss  Etta  had  heard  it  they  would  naturally 
have  spoken  of  it  to  their  brother ;  he  would 
have  told  the  facts  as  he  knew  them,  and  that 
would  have  made  matters  all  straight. 

Bertie  must  have  altered  her  tale  in  some 
way,  exaggerated  it,  or  suppressed  a  part. 
What  for?  Could  her  companion  be  so  mali 
cious  as  simply  to  desire  to  make  her  unpopular 
and  to  prevent  the  young  ladies  from  looking 
upon  her  with  approbation  ?  She  could  not 
understand  it.  Of  course  she  could  not,  for 
malice  and  jealousy  were  entirely  foreign  to 
Katie's  nature,  even  if  she  had  not  been  striv 
ing  "  in  all  her  ways  to  acknowledge "  her 
Saviour.  She  did  wish,  however,  that  she  had 
thought  of  mentioning  her  good  fortune  and 
Mr.  James's  kindness  at  the  time,  that  all  this 
trouble  might  have  been  avoided. 

Meanwhile  Bertie  began  to  moan  and  cry  and 
call  for  Katie ;  and  the  latter,  after  speaking 
in  vain  again  and  again,  turned  to  go. 


194  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

"Oh,  don't  go  away!"  said  Mrs.  Sanderson, 
imperatively.  "  She  '11  know  you  by-and-by  ;  and 
I  can't  stand  her  calling  for  you  ;  besides,  if 
you  can  just  stay  with  Bertie  and  give  her  the 
medicine  and  drink,  I  might  get  a  chance  to  see 
to  Alf.,  who  is  most  as  bad  as  she  is,  and  see 
what  Nina 's  doing  with  those  children  ;  they  've 
been  screaming  this  half-hour.  I  don't  believe 
she  's  given  'em  a  mite  of  dinner,  and  I  guess 
there  ain't  anything  in  the  house  for  supper. 
You  just  stay  where  you  are." 

Not  a  thought  had  selfish  Mrs.  Sanderson 
for  the  fact  that  she  was  exposing  a  neighbor's 
child  to  the  same  evil  which  had  overtaken  her 
own.  Nor  in  Katie's  inexperience  did  she  think 
of  it  either  ;  but  she  did  feel  very  indignant  at 
the  tone  of  command  and  very  much  inclined 
to  rebel. 

Moreover,  she  did  not  want  to  stay  and  take 
care  of  a  girl  who  had  behaved  so  shamefully 
toward  herself.  One  by  one  the  bitter  things 
she  had  been  forced  to  endure  through  this  girl's 
treachery  and  deceitfulness  came  to  her  remem 
brance  —  the  avoidance  of  her  companions,  the 
disapprobation  and  suspicion  of  the  overseer. 


GOOD   FOR  EVIL.  195 

the  changed  manner  of  her  Sunday-school 
teacher,  the  tears  she  had  shed  in  secret,  and 
the  discouragement  she  had  felt  in  her  efforts  to 
be  good  ;  and  a  sense  of  indignation  possessed 
her  which  for  a  moment  made  her  feel  almost 
glad  that  the  girl  had  thus  got  her  deserts. 

But  this  feeling  was  not  of  long  continuance. 
The  Good  Spirit,  who  was  leading  Katie  along 
the  paths  of  righteousness,  would  not  allow  her 
to  turn  aside  from  them  because  for  the  moment 
the  way  seemed  unpleasant  and  opposed  to  her 
natural  inclinations.  Unheard  by  outward  ears, 
but  heard  quite  plainly  in  her  heart,  he  whis 
pered  words  that  made  the  little  girl  pause  and 
think  a  second  time  before  she  refused  to  do  as 
she  was  commanded.  Here  was  a  good  oppor 
tunity  of  being  like  Christ.  He  forgave  his 
enemies.  He  was  kind  to  the  unthankful  and 
the  evil.  He  gave  up  his  life  that  those  who 
hated  and  persecuted  and  finally  killed  Him 
might  be  saved.  This  thought  decided  her. 

"Let  me  speak  a  word  to  Tessa  first,"  she 
said  ;  "then  I'll  stay." 

She  then  told  her  waiting  companion  how  ill 
Bertie  was,  and  how  Mrs.  Sanderson  was  over- 


196  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

whelmed  with  so  many  to  see  to,  and  wanted 
her  to  stay  and  help.  She  asked  Tessa  to  get 
tea  for  the  boys  and  send  one  of  them  for  her 
at  bedtime,  all  of  which  her  friend  promised 
faithfully  to  attend  to,  and  went  her  way. 

When  Katie  returned  to  the  sick-room,  Mrs. 
Sanderson  actually  thanked  her,  and  then  went 
off,  glad  to  attend  to  other  responsibilities,  and 
the  young  nurse  was  left  with  the  excited,  toss 
ing  patient.  Strangely  to  herself,  she  did  not 
feel  the  least  anger  or  bitterness  toward  her 
now,  in  spite  of  all  her  unkindness  to  herself. 
The  words  which  had  been  in  a  recent  Sunday- 
school  lesson,  " I  was  sick  and  ye  visited  me" 
came  again  and  again  to  her  mind,  and  it  hardly 
seemed  to  be  Bertie  to  whom  she  was  called  to 
minister.  She  had  no  experience  in  sickness, 
but  to  some  people  nursing  is  an  intuitive  gift, 
and  Katie  inherited  it  from  her  mother.  Her 
touch  was  cool  and  light.  She  seemed  to  know 
by  instinct  when  the  patient  needed  drink  or 
change  of  position.  She  smoothed  the  dis 
ordered  bed,  shook  up  the  pillows,  turned  the 
cool  side  uppermost,  closed  the  open  blind 
through  which  the  western  sun  was  blazing  into 


GOOD  FOR  EVIL.  197 

the  sick  girl's  eyes,  and  finding  a  large  news 
paper  lying  on  the  floor,  made  a  fan  of  it,  keep 
ing  off  the  flies  and  creating  a  current  of  air, 
till  by  degrees  the  tossings  and  cries  ceased, 
the  wildly  staring  eyes  closed,  and  Bertie  fell 
into  a  light,  though  restless,  sleep. 

Meanwhile,  Mr.  Sanderson  had  come  home 
from  the  bindery,  and  seemed  surprised  to  find 
Katie  sitting  so  quietly  by  his  sick  child.  He 
remonstrated  with  his  wife  —  in  another  room  — 
for  exposing  a  stranger  to  such  danger  of  infec 
tion  ;  but  when  she  asked  him  what  she  was  to 
do  with  two  sick  children  and  three  well  ones 
on  her  hands,  and  who  was  to  get  the  meals  for 
them  all,  he  had  no  answer  to  give,  only  he  set 
about  making  the  fire  and  getting  supper  him 
self,  holding  the  baby  on  one  arm  and  telling 
Nina  what  to  do  about  setting  the  table.  When 
all  was  ready  he  sent  Katie  down  to  her  supper 
and  himself  watched  the  two  sick  children,  — 
which,  now  that  one  of  them  slept,  was  quite 
possible,  —  resuming  his  watch  after  he  had 
had  his  own.  Mrs.  Sanderson  declared  that 
she  was  completely  "beat  out,"  as  well  she 
might  be,  poor  woman,  and  dropping  on  the 


198  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

lounge  in  the  sitting-room  was  asleep  in  a 
moment,  while  Katie  coaxed  Nina  to  help  her 
wash  the  dishes,  clear  up  the  room,  and  put  the 
two  younger  children  to  bed. 

By  this  time  Dr.  Bolen  came  in,  looked  at  his 
patients,  and  said  that,  though  Bertie  was  cer 
tainly  not  better,  sleep  was  the  best  thing  for 
her  and  should  be  encourage  das  much  as  possi 
ble.  Alf.,  he  thought,  would  do  well.  Then 
» 
seeing  Katie  and  not  recognizing  her,  he  asked 

where  that  other  girl  came  from  and  what  she 
was  doing  there.  Mrs.  Sanderson  explained, 
dwelling  emphatically  upon  Bertie's  cries  for 
her  friend  and  the  soothing  influence  her 
presence  had  exerted. 

"That 's  all  very  well,"  said  the  doctor ;  "  but 
how  am  I  going  to  excuse  it  to  her  mother  if 
she  gets  the  fever,  and  what  am  I  going  to  do 
with  another  patient  upon  my  hands  and  no  one 
to  nurse  her  ?  " 

"Oh,  well,  there's  no  harm  done.  She's 
only  been  here  a  little  while,  and  her  brother 's 
coming  to  take  her  home  before  long." 

"  Not  quite  so  fast,  my  good  lady.  She  has 
been  exposed  to  the  fever  already,  and  if  she 


GOOD   FOR  EVIL.  199 

goes  home  now,  may  communicate  it  to  her 
two  brothers  or  the  other  girl  that  boards  with 
them.  Then  her  mother  would  be  sure  to  go 
home  to  take  care  of  them,  and  there  would  be 
an  end  of  my  hospital  and  my  quarantine. 
No  ;  she  must  either  go  to  her  mother  and  take 
her  chance  there,  or  she  must  stay  here  till  we 
see  whether  she  has  escaped  the  contagion." 

"  Please,  let  me  stay  here,"  said  Katie,  who 
had  overheard  this  conversation.  "  I  don't 
think  I  shall  have  the  fever,  but  I  am  sure  I 
can  be  of  use  to  them  all." 

"  Would  n't  you  like  to  go  and  be  with  your 
mother  ? " 

"Yes,  sir,  I'd  like  to,  but  I'd  rather  stay 
here  ;  because,  because  they  need  me,  and  "  — 
the  rest  of  the  sentence  was  spoken  low  as  if 
without  being  intended  for  any  one  to  hear,  but 
both  the  doctor  and  Mr.  Sanderson  heard  it 
and  marveled  at  the  words.  They  were :  — 

"Even  Christ  pleased  not  himself." 


2OO  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

CONSCIENCE. 

|R.  SANDERSON  would  not  allow 
Katie  to  sit  up  late.  Indeed,  she  could 
not  have  kept  awake,  and  would  have 
been  of  little  use  if  she  could.  She  shared 
Nina's  bed  in  the  room  where  the  younger 
children  slept,  but  lay  awake  thinking,  long 
after  that  irresponsible  little  girl  was  asleep 
by  her  side.  Everything  seemed  so  strange. 
It  was  the  first  night  she  had  ever  spent  away 
from  her  own  home,  and  she  could  not  help 
wondering  how  Tessa  and  the  boys  were 
getting  along,  and  what  they  had  for  supper. 
She  thought  of  her  mother  and  of  the  anxiety 
which,  when  she  heard  where  she  was,  she 
would  feel  about  her ;  and  she  wondered  if 
she  should  have  the  fever,  and  if  she  did  if 
she  should  die,  as  one  of  the  patients  at 
the  hospital  had  already  done.  Then  she  won 
dered  if  Bertie  would  die,  and  a  strange  sort  of 
awe  came  over  her  at  such  a  thought  in  con- 


CONSCIENCE.  2O I 

nection  with  one  who  had  been  her  playmate 
ever  since  she  could  remember.  It  made  death 
seem  very  near,  and  she  wondered  if  she  were 
fit  to  die.  But  that  thought  did  not  trouble  her 
much.  Nothing,  either  in  life  or  death,  can 
really  hurt  those  who  love  Jesus  and  trust  in 
his  protection.  She  asked  him  to  make  her 
ready  to  die  when  he  chose,  and  then,  being  of 
a  very  hopeful,  cheerful  nature,  began  to  think 
of  other  things. 

How  could  Bertie  have  circulated  those 
stories  about  her  ?  And,  what  was  more 
important,  how  could  she  set  herself  right  in 
the  eyes  of  the  other  girls,  and  especially  in 
those  of  Miss  Eunice  and  Miss  Etta?  She 
could  not  go  and  say  to  the  latter  :  "  I  know 
Bertie  called  me  a  thief,  but  I  am  not  one,"  and 
then  tell  the  story  just  as  it  was.  They  might 
not  believe  her,  and  if  they  did  it  would  be 
betraying  Bertie,  and  that  would  not  be  kind, 
particularly  now  that  the  latter  was  so  ill.  Or 
if  she  could  have  told  the  young  ladies  and, 
with  the  help  of  Mr.  James,  made  it  all  straight 
with  them,  she  could  not  go  around  to  all  the 
girls  and  explain  what  to  them  were  half-defined 


2O2  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

suspicions.  Even  if  she  told  the  story  of  the 
fifty-dollar  bill  and  her  version  of  it  were 
believed,  they  might  very  naturally  think  that 
there  was  something  else,  and  that  Bertie  would 
scarcely  have  based  her  charge  of  theft  on  so 
slight  and  easily  to  be  explained  a  circumstance 
as  that.  What  should  she  do  ?  It  was  dread 
ful  to  live  under  such  a  cloud  ;  to  have  people 
consider  you  wicked  when  you  are  desiring  and 
trying  with  all  your  might  to  be  good,  and  not 
be  able  to  right  yourself  at  all.  Again  a  feeling 
toward  Bertie  arose  in  the  girl's  heart  that 
would  have  been  hatred  but  for  her  companion's 
present  condition,  and  which  she  felt  to  be 
wrong  even  as  it  was.  For  the  thought  of 
Jesus  and  how  he  forgave  his  enemies  made  her 
feel  ashamed  of  herself,  till  she  got  out  of  bed 
and,  kneeling  kown  in  the  moonlight,  prayed  to 
be  made  more  like  him  and  to  be  willing  to 
surfer  wrongfully,  if  need  be,  with  patience, 
rather  than  to  feel  wrong  or  to  do  anything 
unkind.  And  then,  as  she  got  into  bed  again, 
the  scripture  words  with  which  she  had  com 
menced  her  factory  life  came  back  to  her  with 
new  force  :  — 


CONSCIENCE. 


203 


"  In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  him,  and  he 
shall  direct  thy  paths."  And  then  those  others 
in  the  thirty-seventh  Psalm  :  "  Commit  thy  way 
unto  the  Lord ;  trust  also  in  him,  and  he  shall 
bring  it  to  pass.  He  shall  bring  forth  thy 
righteousness  as  the  light." 

That  was  the  safest  way.  She  might  leave 
it  to  God  to  take  care  of  her  reputation.  He 
could  manage  it  though  she  could  not,  and 
some  time  everybody  would  understand  just 
how  it  was,  and  know  she  was  not  a  thief. 
Meantime  she  could  afford  to  wait  his  time. 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Sanderson  promised 
to  send  word  to  the  mill  about  Katie's  absence 
and  its  cause,  and  when  he  left  for  the  bindery 
his  wife  came  downstairs  to  see  to  things,  and 
she  took  her  place  in  the  sick-room,  while  Nina 
went  to  sit  with  Alf.  Mrs.  Sanderson  was  sur 
prised  to  see  how  much  Katie  had  managed  to 
do  before  breakfast  and  in  the  interim  between, 
exciting  in  Nina  quite  an  ambition  to  wash 
dishes  and  "  clean  up."  The  little  children  had 
been  nicely  washed  and  dressed  and  were,  when 
their  mother  went  down,  sitting  on  the  kitchen 
doorstep  with  a  kitten  between  them,  over  which, 


2O4  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

for  a  wonder,  they  were  neither  fretting  nor 
quarreling.  The  breakfast  things  were  all  put 
away,  the  floor  swept,  and  there  was  a  general 
look  of  comfort  which  had  not  existed  in  that 
house  for  more  than  a  week.  The  poor  tired 
woman  sank  into  a  rocking-chair,  saying  to 
herself,  "  I  don't  see  how  it  is  some  people's 
children  are  so  handy.  Mine  don't  ever  do  any 
thing  they  can  help.  It 's  some  people's  luck." 
It  never  came  into  Mrs.  Sanderson's  head 
that  the  "  luck "  of  good,  efficient  children  is 
largely  dependent  upon  the  sensible  training 
given  them  by  their  mothers. 

The  doctor,  when  he  came,  found  Bertk 
much  easier,  if  not  absolutely  better.  He 
could  not  tell  quite  yet  if  there  were  any  likeli 
hood  of  her  recovery,  but  the  quieter  she  could 
be  kept,  and  the  more  sleep  she  could  get,  the 
more  chance  she  would  have.  He  told  Katie 
she  was  a  famous  nurse,  and  he  should  trust 
her  to  keep  the  room  still,  dark,  and  cool,  and 
to  soothe  her  friend  as  much  as  she  possibly 
could.  He  furthermore  told  her  that  he  had 
seen  her  mother,  who  approved  of  her  remain* 
ing  where  she  was,  though  of  course  she  was 


CONSCIENCE.  205 

very  anxious  lest  she  should  take  the  fever  and 
very  sorry  that  she  had  gone  to  the  house  in 
the  first  place. 

"  I  promised  to  watch  you  closely,"  said  he, 
"and  the  moment  I  saw  any  symptoms,  take 
you  to  her  to  be  nursed.  But  I  don  't  believe 
you  will  have  it  if  you  take  care  of  yourself. 
You  are  in  the  path  of  duty,  and  I  have  often 
observed  that  those  who  are  there  seldom  come 
to  any  harm." 

It  seemed  a  very  long  day  to  restless,  active 
Katie,  and  yet  in  one  sense  it  was  a  relief  from 
the  steady,  monotonous  work  in  the  mill.  Ber 
tie  was  so  quiet  at  first  that  she  was  able  to 
wait  upon  her  and  Alf.  both,  and  let  Nina  go 
down  to  help  her  mother  get  dinner.  But 
after  a  while  she  began  to  toss  and  mutter, 
and  then  came  those  wild  cries  for  Katie  Rob 
ertson  ;  that  she  had  something  to  tell  her ; 
that  she  had  n't  told  a  lie,  for  Katie  was  a 
thief. 

When  or  how  the  change  came  the  watcher 
hardly  knew,  but  all  at  once  she  became  aware 
that  Bertie  lay  looking  directly  at  her,  and  that 
there  was  full  recognition  in  her  eyes.  Neither 


206  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

girl  spoke  for  a  moment ;  then  Bertie  said  with 
a  kind  of  shudder  :  — 

"Am  I  dead?" 

"No,  indeed,"  said  the  other,  not  without 
some  effort  to  speak  cheerfully.  "  You  are  going 
to  get  well  now ;  only  keep  still  and  don't  tire 
yourself." 

"I  am  going  to  die,"  said  Bertie,  slowly;  "and 
I  can 't  die,  I  am  so  wicked.  Katie,  I  said 
dreadful  things  about  you.  I  made  all  the  girls 
hate  you,  and  Miss  Etta,  too ;  but  it  was  n't 
quite  a  lie,  for  I  did  see  you  take  the 
money." 

"Yes,"  said  Katie,  quietly,  "I  did  find  a  fifty- 
dollar  bill  in  an  old  vest,  and  I  suppose  you  saw 
me ;  but  why  did  n't  you  tell  me  you  saw  it, 
instead  of  telling  the  girls  ?  Then  I  could  have 
explained  all  about  it  ? " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Bertie,  uneasily.  "  Yes, 
I  do ;  that 's  another  lie,  and  I  don't  mean  to 
tell  lies  now.  I  did  n't  want  to  have  it  ex 
plained.  I  wanted  the  girls  to  dislike  you  as 
much  as  I  did." 

"Why?"  said  Katie,  astonished. 

"Oh,  well,  you  preached  to  me,  and  pretended 


CONSCIENCE.  207 


to  be  a  saint,  and  Miss  Etta  and  everybody 
thought  you  were  so  good,  and  "  — 

"Shall  I  tell  you  about  that  bill  now?" 

"Yes,  do!" 

So  Katie  told  her  companion  just  how  it 
happened,  and 'it  was  all  so  simple  that  she 
wondered  how  she  could  have  made  such  a  story 
of  it. 

"  I  wonder  you  did  n't  keep  the  bill,  and  not 
take  it  to  Mr.  James,"  she  said.  "I  should." 

"  I  did  have  a  little  fight  about  it,"  said 
Katie,  blushing.  "  It  was  a  great  temptation. 
I  'm  not  so  very  good,  but "  — 

"But  what  ?"  said  Bertie,  eagerly,  looking  at 
her. 

"  I  think  the  Lord  Jesus  helped  me.  I  asked 
him,  and  he  says  he  will  help  us  to  be  good," 

"  Do  you  think  he  would  help  me  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  he  would.  O  Bertie,  do  ask 
him  !  I  am  so  glad  !  " 

"Are  you?"  said  the  sick  girl,  dreamily. 
But  the  effort  to  talk  or  think  longer  in  her 
weakened  state  was  too  great.  She  seemed  to 
float  away  again,  and  by  degrees  the  same  wild 
look  came  into  her  eyes,  the  tossings  began 


2O8  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

again,  and  the  low  mutterings  and  sharp  cries. 
It  was  very  painful  both  to  see  and  hear,  but 
Katie  was  glad  to  notice  that  her  own  name 
no  longer  mingled  in  the  confused  talk,  and  the 
consciousness  of  wrong-doing  toward  herself 
seemed  to  have  passed  away. 

In  the  evening  the  doctor  said  that  the 
patient  had  had  a  relapse,  and  questioned  her 
young  nurse  very  particularly  as  to  whether  she 
had  shown  any  consciousness ;  and  being  told 
that  she  had  seemed  for  a  little  while  to  be 
quite  herself,  he  asked  if  she  had  spoken. 
Katie  said  that  she  had  talked  quite  rationally 
about  something  that  had  distressed  her  for 
some  time,  but  she  did  not  say  what  that  some 
thing  was. 

"Bad,"  said  he;  "you  should  never  let  a 
fever  patient  talk,  no  matter  how  much  she 
may  try.  But  I  must  n't  scold  you,  I  suppose ; 
you  are  too  young  for  such  a  responsibility,  and 
your  friend  there  is  extremely  ill." 

Then  he  went  downstairs  and  consulted 
Bertie's  parents,  and  the  result  was  that  a  letter 
was  written  to  the  city  aunt  begging  her  to 
eome  and  help  take  care  of  the  two  sick  children. 


CONSCIENCE.  2O9 

The  doctor  wrote  it  himself,  stating  as  deli 
cately  as  he  could  the  extreme  urgency  of  the 
case,  the  inefficiency  of  the  mother,  the  dan 
gerous  illness  of  the  children,  and  the  impossi 
bility  of  securing  any  assistance  in  the  care  of 
them  except  that  of  an  inexperienced  little  girl, 
who  was  herself  in  constant  danger  of  being 
added  to  the  list  of  patients. 

In  answer  to  this  appeal,  after  a  couple  of 
days,  Mrs.  Jamieson,  who,  if  a  silly,  overindul- 
gent  mother,  was  a  much  more  efficient  woman 
than  her  sister,  made  her  appearance  in  Squan- 
town,  and  under  her  supervision  matters  were 
soon  in  a  better  condition,  and  Katie  was  no 
longer  needed.  She  had  made  herself  extremely 
useful,  however,  and  all  the  family  were  un- 
feignedly  obliged  to  her.  The  children  could  not 
bear  to  have  her  go,  and  Mr.  Sanderson  insisted 
upon  giving  her  as  much  money  as  she  would 
have  earned  during  the  days  she  had  been 
absent  from  the  mill.  Dr.  Bolen  said  she 
showed  no  signs  of  having  taken  the  infection, 
and  it  would  be  quite  safe  for  her  to  go  home  if 
she  would  change  all  her  clothes  for  those  which 
Eric  took  to  the  bindery  and  Mr.  .Sanderson 


2IO  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

carried  home,  leaving  everything  she  had  worn 
in  the  sick-room  behind  her,  and  then  would 
take  a  long  walk,  where  the  wind  could  blow 
her  hair  about  and  freshen  her  up  thoroughly. 

Tessa  and  Katie  had  a  long,  long  talk  that 
night.  The  former  had  many  things  to  tell  of 
what  had  happened  both  in  the  mill  and  at  home 
during  the  absence  of  the  latter ;  how  the  rag- 
room  had  been  closed  and  fumigated,  the 
foreign  rags  all  burned,  and  the  girls  and  Miss 
Peters  enjoyed  a  three  days'  holiday  without 
having  it  deducted  from  their  wages  ;  how  they 
old  cat  had  presented  the  household  with  a 
lovely  family  of  downy  kittens,  for  which  Alfred 
had  made  a  little  house  in  a  box  out  in  the  yard  ; 
and  how  both  boys  had  been  very  patient  toward 
her  cookery,  laughing  at  her  mistakes  and 
helping  her  with  their  superior  knowledge  ;  and 
how  they  had  stayed  at  home  and  played  games 
with  her  every  evening,  thus  preventing  her 
from  taking  to  novels  again  to  cheer  her  lone 
liness,  as  she  should  otherwise  have  felt  tempted 
to  do. 

Then  Katie  told  Tessa  all  about   the   fifty- 
dollar  bill,  of  which  she  had  never  heard  before. 


CONSCIENCE.  2  I  I 

and  Bertie's  unkindness  in  setting  everybody 
against  her ;  and  Tessa  said  she  had  heard  the 
rumors,  and  often  tried  to  make  the  girls  tell 
her  what  they  meant,  but  the  only  thing 
she  could  find  out  was  that  Katie  was  dis 
honest. 

"  I  wonder  you  were  friends  with  me,  then," 
said  Katie.  "  I  should  think  you  would  have 
avoided  me,  just  as  all  the  other  girls  did. 
Were  n't  you  ashamed  to  associate  with  a 
thief?" 

"  Oh,  Katie,  you  know  I  could  n't  believe 
such  a  thing  of  you  !  —  you  who  have  been  my 
best  friend  —  the  only  real  friend  I  have  ever 
had." 

"  But  why  did  n't  you  tell  me  what  you  had 
heard,  and  ask  me  to  explain  it  ?  You  see  how 
easily  I  could  have  done  so. 

"  Somehow  I  didn't  like  to.  It  seemed  like 
doubting  you  even  to  repeat  the  lies.  I  knew 
they  were  lies  all  the  time,  and  I  loved  you 
better  than  anybody  else  in  the  world.  What 
consequence  was  it  to  me  what  other  people 
said  about  you?" 

How  to  clear  the  matter  up,  neither  of  the 


212  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

girls  knew.  For  it  would  be  still  more  cruel 
and  dishonorable,  as  they  thought,  to  tell  what 
Bertie  had  done,  now  that  she  had  confessed  it 
herself  and  was  lying  so  low.  But  Katie  had 
learned  to  "commit  her  way  unto  the  Lord," 
and  she  was  not  troubled  any  more  about  the 
matter. 

"I  should  think  you'd  hate  Bertie,"  said 
Tessa,  with  Italian  intensity.  "  I  don't  see  how 
you  could  bring  yourself  to  stay  there  and  take 
care  of  her  when  you  knew  how  much  she  had 
injured  you.  I  should  have  felt  like  putting 
poison  into  her  drink  or  smothering  her  with 
the  pillows." 

"  No,  you  would  n't,"  said  the  other,  laughing, 
but  immediately  becoming  grave  again.  "  You 
could  n't  hate  any  one  who  was  dying,  and  be 
sides,  it  wouldn't  be  like  Jesus." 

"I  don't  understand." 

"  Don't  you  see  ?  Jesus  gave  up  his  life  for 
sinners,  for  those  who  were  his  enemies.  It 
makes  me  love  him  whenever  I  think  of  it,  and 
I  want  to  be  like  him.  This  was  a  good  chance, 
and  I  think  he  helped  me  to  overcome  all  kind 
of  hard  feeling.  I  only  longed  to  do  everything 
I  could  to  make  her  more  comfortable." 


C  ONS  CIENCE.  213 

"I  wish  I  could  love  Jesus  as  you  do.  My 
father  used  to  tell  me  religion  was  just  the 
priests  deceiving  silly  women,  and  reminded 
me  how  the  robbers  and  beggars  in  Italy  would 
kneel  before  the  crucifixes,  shed  tears  as  they 
said  their  prayers,  and  then  turn  away  and  be 
just  as  wicked  as  before.  But  to  you  it  all 
seems  real,  and  it,  or  something,  makes  you 
just  the  best  girl  I  ever  saw.  But  I  can't 
feel  so." 

"  Yes,  you  can  ;  our  Lord  Jesus  says  '  whoso 
ever  will,  may  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely,' 
and  '  him  that  cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  no  wise 
cast  out.'  You  must  be  one  of  the  'whosoever.' 
O  Tessa,  I  only  wish  you  'd  come  !  " 

But  Tessa  did  not  answer,  and  Katie,  think 
ing  her  asleep,  soon  followed  her  example. 


214  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

DECIDING. 

T  was  about  four  weeks  later  in  the 
season.  Miss  Eunice's  "  tea-party," 
which  had  not  been  held  for  a  long 
time,  was  gathered  at  the  great  house ;  not 
now  in  the  pleasant  sitting-room,  but  on  the 
still  pleasanter  shaded  lawn,  where  the  girls 
occupied  pretty  rustic  seats,  while  the  tea  was 
spread  on  little  green  tables,  around  which  they 
were  grouped  as  inclination  prompted  them. 

All  the  members  of  both  classes  were  there, 
with  the  exception  of  Bertie  Sanderson  ;  and 
there  were  quite  a  number  of  new  faces.  Some 
were  present  who  had  lately  stood  very  close  to 
death,  and  others  whom  the  solemn  thought 
induced  by  the  public  catastrophe  had  led  to 
seek  for  a  better  life  than  one  of  mere  amuse 
ment.  All  were  glad  to  come  together  again  ; 
but  there  was  a  subdued  tone  in  the  gladness, 
and  some  voices  were  not  as  gay  and  careless 
as  they  were  a  month  ago. 


DECIDING.  215 

The  fever  had  passed  away.  There  had  been 
no  more  cases,  and  only  that  one  death.  The 
rag-room  girls  and  the  invalids  had  gone  back 
to  their  work ;  the  hospital  was  closed  ;  Mrs. 
Robertson  had  returned  to  her  family,  with  for 
once  a  thankful  heart.  For,  besides  that  she 
had  been  very  well  paid  for  her  services  and 
loss  of  time,  the  pestilence  had  spared  her  own 
dear  ones  ;  and  they  were  all  there  to  welcome 
her  as  she  came  back  to  her  home. 

Moreover,  she  had  become  very  much  at 
tached  to  Gretchen  and  the  other  girls  whom 
she  had  attended  during  their  illness,  and  hated 
to  let  them  go  back  to  the  tender  mercies  of 
Mrs.  Doyle  and  the  other  boarding-house  keep 
ers,  where  they  would  be  sure  to  be  not  only 
uncomfortable  and  badly  fed,  but  also  very 
much  neglected  in  case  of  any  new  illness  which 
might  easily  result  from  their  weak,  enfeebled 
condition.  Her  motherly  heart  thought  a  great 
deal  about  the  matter,  and  her  thoughts  finally 
ended  in  her  fitting  up  a  large  garret-room, 
which  had  never  been  occupied,  with  four  little 
white  beds  and  other  necessaries  and  conven 
iences,  and  taking  the  four  convalescents  home 


2l6  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

with  her  as  permanent  boarders.  The  girls,  while 
paying  no  more  than  they  had  heretofore  done, 
profited  greatly  by  the  change.  They  had  plain 
and  wholesome,  because  well-cooked,  food,  plenty 
of  cleanliness  and  fresh  air,  besides  the  elevat 
ing  and  refining  influence  of  a  home  where 
Christian  living  was  inculcated,  not  so  much  by 
precept  as  by  practice.  God  "  setteth  the  soli 
tary  in  families,"  not  boarding-houses  or  institu 
tions;  but  that  is  the  only  true  family  which 
takes  care  "in  all  its  ways  to  acknowledge  him." 
If  such  families  all  over  our  land  would  open 
the  arms  of  their  exclusiveness  each  to  take  in 
one  or  more  of  the  waifs  and  strays  of  life,  and 
throw  around  them  the  arms  of  Christian  love, 
they  would  be  taking  a  long  step  toward 
answering  their  own  daily  prayer  of 
"  Thy  kingdom  come  ...  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven." 
Katie  and  Tessa  were  pleased,  girl-like,  with 
the  addition  to  their  family  party,  and,  though 
the  boys  grumbled  a  little  at  first,  being,  as  boys 
are  apt  to  be,  a  little  shy  of  girls'  society,  they 
soon  became  used  to  the  change  and  glad  to 
enjoy  the  evening  occupations  that  were  ren 
dered  possible  by  so  large  a  number. 


DECIDING.  2  I  7 

It  had  always  been  a  source  of  great  anxiety 
to  the  widow,  lest  her  boys,  deprived  of  a 
father's  watchful  authority,  would,  as  they  grew 
up,  wander  off  at  night,  fall  under  bad  in 
fluences,  learn  evil  habits,  and  grow  up  worth 
less,  dissipated  men.  But  thus  far  she  had 
been  successful  in  keeping  Eric  and  Alfred 
at  home  with  her  and  their  little  sister,  and  now, 
just  when  the  restlessness  common  to  their  age 
might  have  drawn  them  away,  a  new  interest 
was  presented  in  the  shape  of  a  "  home  reading 
society,"  which  held  its  sessions  on  Monday, 
Tuesday,  and  Thursday  nights ;  Wednesday 
evening  being  devoted  to  Miss  Eunice's  "tea- 
party,"  Friday  to  the  church  service,  and  Satur 
day  to  games. 

Mrs.  Robertson  had  plans  of  a  more  solid 
nature  for  the  winter,  but  till  the  warm  sum 
mer  weather  was  over,  this  seemed  enough. 
The  books  read  were  historical  stories,  biogra 
phies,  and  the  like,  taken  from  the  mill  library 
by  special  permission.  The  boys  were  generally 
the  readers,  while  the  girls  were  encouraged 
by  their  motherly  landlady  to  repair  and  keep 
their  clothes  in  order,  a  branch  of  womanliness 


2l8  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

apt  to  be  much  neglected  by  factory  operatives, 
who  often  marry  and  enter  upon  family  duties 
without  even  knowing  how  to  hold  a  needle. 

Of  course,  the  widow's  time  was  now  so  fully 
occupied  that  she  could  not  go  out  to  work  in 
families,  as  she  had  been  wont  to  do,  but  the 
money  paid  by  her  boarders  more  than  com 
pensated  for  that.  Her  heart,  as  well  as  her 
hands,  was  quite  full,  and  having  no  time  to 
brood  over  her  fallen  condition,  she  did  not 
worry  and  grumble  so  much  as  formerly,  and 
was  happier  than  she  had  ever  been  since  the 
doctor  died  and  left  her  to  battle  with  the 
world  alone.  And  thus  she  learned  to  realize 
the  truth  of  that  scripture:  — 

"He  that  watereth  shall  be  watered  also 
himself." 

Bertie  Sanderson  did  not  die  with  the  fever, 
though  all  around  her,  even  the  doctor,  had  at 
one  time  quite  given  up  all  hope  of  her 
recovery.  She  slowly  struggled  back  to  life, 
and  as  soon  as  she  was  able  to  bear  the 
journey  her  aunt  took  her  to  the  city  with 
her  for  more  complete  rest  and  change.  Katie 
did  not  see  her  again  ;  for,  having  once  got 


DECIDING.  219 

away  from  the  infected  house,  it  was  not 
thought  best  either  for  her  brothers  at  home, 
or  her  companions  in  the  mill,  that  she  should 
risk  exposure  again.  She  often  longed  to  know 
the  state  of  her  former  companion's  mind  on 
recovering  her  senses.  If  she  remembered 
that  exciting  conversation;  if  she  were  really 
penitent  for  what  she  had  done ;  and  if  she  had 
taken  her  companion's  advice  and  sought  the 
forgiveness  and  strength  of  her  Saviour.  But 
no  one  could  tell  her.  Indeed,  there  was  no 
one  she  could  ask,  for  she  felt  intuitively  that 
Mrs.  Sanderson  was  not  a  person  to  understand 
this  sort  of  thing,  and  she  could  not  summon 
courage  to  ask  Bertie's  father.  Of  one  thing 
she  was  sure,  however — her  companion  had  not 
as  yet  openly  confessed  her  share  in  the  reports 
which  had  so  affected  Katie's  reputation,  and 
she  must  still  wait  in  patience  till  he  to  whom 
she  had  "committed  her  way"  should  make  it 
clear. 

The  reading  for  this  Wednesday  afternoon 
had  been  exceedingly  solemn.  It  was  about 
the  danger  of  being  "  almost  persuaded  "  to  do 
one's  duty,  and  then  leaving  it  undone ;  the 


22O  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

uncertainty  of  another  opportunity  presenting 
itself,  and  the  importance  of  deciding  for  Christ 
now.  At  its  close  Miss  Eunice  had  said  :  — 

"My  dear  girls,  we  have  in  the  weeks  that 
have  gone  by  carefully  considered  the  subject  of 
religion  and  God's  claims  upon  every  one  of  us 
for  the  consecration  to  him  of  our  hearts  and 
our  lives.  We  have  seen  that  the  steps  we  are 
called  upon  to  take  are  repentance,  that  is, 
forsaking  sin  in  intention  as  well  as  being  sorry 
for  it ;  a  steadfast,  living  faith  in  Christ  Jesus 
as  our  Saviour,  and  a  resolute  determination  to 
spend  the  rest  of  our  lives  in  his  service  by 
keeping  his  commandments  and  doing  his 
will. 

"We  have  learned,  also,  that  of  ourselves  we 
are  none  of  us  sufficient  for  any  of  these  things, 
but  that  God  is  ready  —  nay,  anxious  —  to  give 
us  his  Holy  Spirit  in  answer  to  our  asking,  and 
that  this  Holy  Spirit  will  work  in  us  the 
repentance  and  faith,  as  well  as  give  us  the 
strength  to  carry  it  out  amid  all  the  tempta 
tions  of  our  daily  lives.  To-day's  lesson  has 
been  upon  the  importance  of  deciding,  and  the 
danger  of  delay,  in  such  a  serious  matter.  I 


DECIDING.  221 

think  the  lessons  of  the  past  few  weeks  have 
helped  to  impress  this  latter  fact  upon  us  ;  and  I 
am  glad  that  our  pastor  has  just  written  me  a  note 
to  ask  that  all  of  you  who  have  made  up  your 
minds  to  confess  your  Saviour  openly  at  our 
communion  Sunday,  the  first  week  in  Septem 
ber,  which  will  be  just  two  weeks  from  to-day, 
will  send  him  your  names  at  once.  He  desires 
to  see  and  talk  with  each  one  of  you  separately, 
that  he  may  satisfy  himself  of  your  being  in  a  fit 
condition  for  so  important  a  step.  I  have  a 
paper  here  on  which  you  may  write  your  names  ; 
but  before  you  do  I  want  you  to  examine  your 
own  hearts  faithfully  and  as  in  the  sight  of  God, 
to  see  whether  you  honestly  and  sincerely  *  re 
pent  you  of  your  sins  past,  have  a  lively  and 
steadfast  faith  in  Christ  our  Saviour,  and  intend 
to  lead  a  new  life,  following  the  commandments 
of  God  and  walking  from  henceforth  in  his  holy 
ways,  that  so  you  may  not  be  guilty  of  making 
a  deceitful  and  false  profession.'  And  now  let 
us  pray.  " 

The  girls  all  knelt  down,  and  their  teacher 
prayed  that  these  dear  girls  might  have  a  right 
judgment  in  all  things,  and  decide,  "  not  lightly 


222  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

nor  after  the  manner  of  dissemblers  with  God,"  to 
confess  Christ  for  their  Saviour,  and  give  them 
selves  to  him  in  the  way  of  his  appointment. 
Then  there  was  silence  for  many  minutes,  that 
all  kneeling  there  might  carefully  examine  their 
own  hearts  and  make  this  most  important 
decision  of  their  lives  in  the  very  realized 
presence  of  God  himself. 

After  this  the  tea-table  conversation  was  not 
a  very  gay  one,  and  the  girls  went  home  uncom 
monly  early,  many  of  them  before  leaving  writ 
ing  their  names  upon  the  sheet  of  paper  which 
their  teacher  presented.  To  some  it  seemed 
too  awful  a  thing  to  do ;  to  others,  as  to  Katie 
Robertson,  the  awe  was  softened  by  the  glad 
sense  that  Christ  was  pleased  with  this  act  of 
acknowledging  him ;  and  still  others  were 
greatly  strengthened  by  this  first  act  of  self- 
committal,  from  which  they  would  now  be 
ashamed  to  draw  back. 

"Fifteen  names;  God  bless  them  all !"  said 
Miss  Eunice,  as  she  looked  over  the  paper  with 
her  sister,  whose  own  name  headed  the  list. 
"  I  am  so  glad  !  And  yet  there  are  two  or  three 
more  that  I  would  like  to  see  there  ;  perhaps 


DECIDING. 


223 


they  will  decide  yet.  But,  Etta,  what  shall 
we  do  with  this  one?" — pointing  to  Katie 
Robertson's. 

"  I  don't  know,  unless  we  consult  Mr.  Mor- 
ven."  For  the  young  lady  had  begun  to  realize 
the  help  and  strength  there  is  in  talking  over 
spiritual  matters  and  difficulties  with  one  well 
qualified  to  give  advice  and  help  ;  and  many 
a  deeply  interesting  one  had  followed  that  first 
Sunday  afternoon's  conversation  between  Etta 
and  her  pastor. 

"We  might  do  that,"  said  the  elder  sister, 
musingly.  "  And  yet,  I  hardly  like  to,  either  ; 
for,  you  see,  we  don't  know  anything  definitely 
against  the  child,  and  I  should  be  sorry  to 
create  a  prejudice  against  her  should  she  prove 
to  be  innocent.  At  the  same  time,  I  do  not 
like  to  take  the  responsibility  of  assenting  to 
the  public  religious  profession  of  a  girl  who  has 
such  an  accusation  as  theft  hanging  over  her." 

"  I  have  almost  a  mind  to  tell  her  the  report, 
and  ask  her  what  it  means.  I  have  somehow 
shrunk  from  doing  so  because  it  seems  an  abso 
lute  insult,  and  whenever  I  see  the  child  I  can 
not  believe  there  is  any  truth  in  the  story.  I 
wish  I  knew  more  particulars." 


224  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

"  Who  was  your  informant  ?  Oh,  I  remem 
ber  !  —  Bertie  Sanderson  —  and  she  is  out  of  the 
way  now,  and  can't  be  questioned." 

"  I  never  believed  in,  nor  liked,  Bertie  ;  but  I 
don't  think  she  is  bad  enough  to  invent  such  a 
slander,  making  it  out  of  whole  cloth.  She 
said  Gretchen  knew ;  but  I  never  thought  of 
asking  her.  She  is  as  truthful  as  the  day." 

"I  would  ask  her,"  said  her  sister.  "And 
there  she  is  by  the  gate  —  come  back  for  some 
thing,  maybe." 


CLEARED.  225 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

CLEARED. 

RETCHEN  came  slowly  up  the  lawn, 
and  stood  for  a  moment  shyly  by  the 
side  of  Miss  Eunice. 

"Is  there  anything  I  can  do  for  you,  my 
child  ?  "  said  the  young  lady,  pleasantly,  desiring 
to  put  her  at  her  ease. 

"  Please,  will  you  write  my  name  there  ?  " 
she  said,  pointing  to  the  list.  "  I  can't  write 
English  letters,  and  I  was  ashamed  to  have  the 
other  girls  know." 

"That  is  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of,"  said 
Etta.  "  I  don't  believe  any  of  the  other  girls 
can  write  German  letters.  But,  Gretehen,  do 
you  honestly  want  to  give  yourself  to  your 
Saviour,  and  to  live  so  as  to  serve  and  please 
him  ? " 

"  Yes,  Miss  Etta.  I  shall  never  forget  th« 
night  you  prayed  for  nie  when  I  was  so  sick. 
You  said  the  Lord  Jesus  weuld  hear  the  prayer, 
and  take  me  if  I  eame  to  him.  I  think  he  did 


226  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

so,  and  I  have  been  coming  to  him  again  and 
again,  ever  since.  He  has  been  good,  so  good 
to  me,  saving  me  from  dying  and  making  me 
get  well  from  that  terrible  sickness.  The  more  I 
read  about  him  in  my  Bible,  the  more  I  love 
him  and  want  to  honor  him.  But,  Miss  Etta, 
it  was  you  who  told  me  about  him,  and  I  shall 
never  forget  that  night." 

Etta's  eyes  filled  with  glad  tears,  while  her 
sister  added  the  sixteenth  name  to  the  list,  and 
she  clasped  the  hard,  red  hand  with  a  feeling 
of  sisterhood,  for  which  she  could  hardly 
account. 

Gretchen's  sickness  had  greatly  improved  her 
appearance,  toning  down  her  overbright  color, 
and  giving  her  a  look  of  greater  delicacy.  Mrs. 
Robertson  and  Katie  had  managed  to  exchange 
the  dark  woolen  petticoat  and  jacket  for  a 
simple  summer  dress  such  as  the  other  girls 
wore ;  while  contact  with  the  others  in  the 
friendly  home  life  had  brightened  up  her  intel 
lect,  and  her  new,  deeper  feelings  and  desire 
after  a  spiritual  life  had  given  her  a  certain 
earnestness  of  expression  which  made  the 
homely  German  features  very  pleasant  to  look 
upon. 


CLEARED.  227 

She  was  just  going  away  after  thanking  both 
her  teachers  in  a  quaint,  formal  manner,  when 
Etta  said :  — 

"Gretchen,  I  don't  want  you  to  tell  tales 
about  your  companions,  and  you  need  not 
answer  unless  you  wish  to  do  so,  but  I  have 
been  told  that  you  know  facts  concerning  3 
rumor  about  Katie  Robertson,  that  I  very  much 
desire  to  find  out.  Can  you,  honorably,  tell  me 
anything  about  it  ?" 

"  Some  of  the  girls  don't  like  her ;  I  don't 
know  why.  She 's  always  a  very  nice  girl  to 
me,  and  so  good  to  her  mother ! " 

"  But  the  rumor  is  that  she  is  dishonest,  and 
that  you  saw  her  steal  something." 

11 1  saw  Katie  steal?"  said  Gretchen,  very 
slowly.  "  Never,  never  in  my  life.  Oh,  I  know," 
a  light  breaking  over  her  face  at  a  sudden 
recollection.  "  Bertha  and  I  both  saw  her 
find  a  bill  in  an  old  vest-pocket  one  day,  and 
put  it  in  her  own.  Bertha  spoke  about  it  to 
me,  but  it  was  n't  my  business.  Finding 
is  n't  stealing." 

"  It  is  n't  quite  honest  to  keep  what  we  find," 
said  Miss  Eunice.  "We  should  try  to  restore  it 
to  the  owner." 


228  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

"But  how  could  she  find  the  owner?"  said 
Gretchen,  eagerly.  "He  might  be  away  over 
in  Germany,  or  —  or  anywhere." 

"That  is  true,"  said  Etta,  thoughtfully. 
"It's  strange!  I  can't  believe  that  Katie's 
dishonest." 

"  Oh,  she  is  n't ;  I  'm  sure  she  is  n't !  I  only 
wish  I  could  prove  it;  but  this  is  all  I  know 
about  the  matter." 

"Well,  dear,  thank  you  for  saying  what  you 
have  said.  Don't  say  a  word  about  it  among 
your  companions.  I  know  I  can  trust  you 
that  far,  and  I  will  find  out  the  mystery  some 
how.  Good-night,  Gretchen.  God  bless  you 
in  your  new  service,"  and  Miss  Eunice  kissed 
her,  little  German  factory-girl  though  she  was. 

"  Find  out  the  mystery  ?  Of  course  we  can  ; 
just  as  easy  as  possible,  now,"  said  Etta.  "All 
we've  got  to  do  is  just  to  ask  James  if  such 
an  occurrence  ever  happened  in  the  mill." 

And  Mr.  James  Mount  joy  promptly  coming  in 
at  that  moment,  both  sisters  appealed  to  him,  and 
heard  in  return  a  very  simple  statement  of  the 
whole  affair. 

:i  Why  did  n't  you  tell  u*  ? " 


CLEARED. 


229 


"I  did  mean  to.  I  thought  it  so  noble  in 
the  child.  Five  girls  out  of  every  six  would 
have  put  the  money  into  their  pockets,  and 
said  nothing  about  it.  It  was  very  brave  in 
her,  too,  to  tell  me  how  she  had  been  tempted 
to  keep  it." 

"  I  know  why  he  did  not  tell,"  said  the  elder 
sister,  looking  fondly  at  her  brother.  "  Five 
employers  out  of  six  would  have  accepted  the 
money  as  their  right,  and  the  finder  have  been 
none  the  better  for  it.  Our  James  is  not  apt  to 
trumpet  his  own  praises." 

The  young  man  colored,  and  said  :  — 

"  I  think  Katie  Robertson  is  an  uncommonly 
fine  girl.  I  was  struck  by  something  she  said 
the  day  she  entered  the  mill.  I  asked  her  if 
she  thought  she  could  be  a  faithful  little  girl, 
and  she  said  she  was  trying  to  please  God 
everywhere,  and  she  was  sure  he  would  help  her 
here.  I  think  she  has  acted  up  to  that  idea 
ever  since.  I  have  watched  her  from  time 
to  time,  and  I  can  not  find  that  she  has  ever 
been  guilty  of  disobedience  to  rules,  or  any  kind 
of  underhand  behavior.  Her  work  has  always 
been  faithfully  done,  and  her  example  has  been 


030  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

of  great  use  in  keeping  order  among  the  others. 
Sanderson  is  enthusiastic  in  his  praises  of 
her  bravery  and  womanly  unselfishness.  He 
says  she  came  to  his  house  at  the  risk  of 
her  own  life,  and  helped  his  poor,  tired-out 
wife  take  care  of  the  two  sick  children  with 
as  much  earnestness,  and  almost  as  much 
skill,  as  a  professional  nurse.  She  stayed  there 
till  the  aunt  from  the  city  came,  thus  losing  five 
days'  work.  I  offered  her  the  wages  for  those 
days  when  I  found  it  out,  but  she  told  me  Mr. 
Sanderson  had  given  her  the  amount,  and  she 
did  not  want  to  be  paid  twice  over." 

"  And  this  is  the  girl  we  have  been  sus 
pecting  of  dishonesty!"  said  Etta.  "We 
really  owe  her  something  to  make  amends. 
What  a  little  wretch  that  Bertie  Sanderson 
must  be !  I  really  think  her  parents  ought 
to  be  told  all  the  circumstances." 

All  this  while  a  pile  of  unopened  letters, 
brought  by  the  evening  mail,  was  lying  upon 
the  centre-table.  The  young  gentleman  turned 
them  over,  took  possession  of  several  which 
were  directed  to  himself,  and  then,  handing 
Etta  one  which  he  said  was  for  her,  left  the 
room. 


CLEARED.  231 

"  Who  can  it  be  from  ?  "  said  the  young  lady, 
eyeing  the  strangely  folded  and  badly  directed 
epistle,  without  opening  it,  as  is  the  manner  of 
so  many  people. 

"I  'd  see  if  I  were  you,"  said  her  sister;  and 
seeing  that  this  was  good  advice,  Etta  took  it, 
glanced  at  the  signature,  and  exclaimed  :  — 

"  Bertie    Sanderson  !    what   a   coincidence  !  " 

The  letter  was  as  follows :  — 

NEW  YORK,  August  15,  18 — . 
My  Dear  Miss  Etta,  —  I  don't  know  how  to 
write  letters  very  well,  but  I  must  tell  you 
something  that  is  upon  my  mind.  It  is  about 
Katie  Robertson.  You  remember  I  told  you 
she  was  a  thief,  and  I  told  all  the  girls  she  was 
dishonest.  I  did  n't  know  that  she  was ;  I 
only  saw  her  find  a  fifty-dollar  bill  among  the 
rags  one  day,  and  put  it  in  her  pocket.  I 
did  n't  know  what  she  did  with  it,  and  I  did  n't 
try  to  find  out,  because  I  was  jealous  and 
hated  her.  She  used  to  tell  me  it  was  dis 
honest  to  break  rules,  and  talk,  and  idle,  when 
one  was  paid  for  working,  and  I  felt  kind  of 
glad  to  think  I  had  found  her  out  in  being 


232  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

dishonest  too.  I  told  the  girls  about  it  —  not 
all,  but  just  enough  to  make  them  think  her  a 
thief,  because  at  first  they  all  seemed  to  think 
so  much  more  of  her  than  they  did  of  me,  and 
I  told  you  just  the  same  thing  when  you  asked 
me.  I  tried  to  tell  father  when  he  used  to 
praise  up  Katie  Robertson's  independence  and 
industry,  and  wish  I  would  follow  her  example. 
You  see,  it  was  all  because  of  her  that  he  put 
me  in  the  mill.  But  somehow  I  could  n't  tell 
him.  I  was  afraid. 

You  see,  Miss  Etta,  I  have  been  a  very 
wicked  girl,  and  when  I  got  so  sick  I  was 
afraid  to  die.  I  tried  to  think  I  hadn't  told 
a  lie,  because  I  did  see  her  find  the  money,  and 
I  didn't  know  -what  she  had  done  with  it;  but 
I  knew  I  had  "borne  false  witness,"  and  I 
hadn't  "loved  my  neighbor  as  myself."  I 
knew,  too,  that  nobody  could  go  to  heaven  with 
a  heart  full  of  malice  and  hatred,  and  I  wanted 
to  tell  Katie  all  about  it,  and  ask  her  to  forgive 
me,  and  when  I  got  wild  I  kept  calling  for  her. 
Then  she  came  and  stayed  and  took  such  good 
care  of  me,  I  've  been  ashamed  since  I  knew 
about  it ;  but  I  did  n't  know  her  or  any  one 


.;' 

CLEARED.  233 

then,  only  one  day  my  wits  seemed  to  conTe 
back  to  me  and  I  told  her  all  about  it,  and  she 
explained  so  simply  how  she  had  found  the 
money  and  taken  it  to  Mr.  James,  and  Mr. 
James  had  told  her  to  keep  it,  that  I  saw  in  a 
moment  that  it  was  only  because  I  wanted  to 
think  her  bad  that  I  did  n't  find  out  just  how 
it  was  long  before. 

I  felt  so  bad  then,  Miss  Etta,  because  I 
thought  I  was  surely  dying,  and  going  before 
God  with  all  that  unforgiven  sin  upon  me,  and 
Katie  talked  so  sweetly  about  Jesus  and  his 
forgiveness  and  help  that  I  thought  I  'd  like 
to  try.  But  then  I  did  n't  know  anything  for 
a  long  time  till  I  woke  up  and  found  my 
aunt  there,  and  they  said  I  couldn't  see  Katie 
again,  because  she  might  get  the  fever  or  carry 
it  to  her  brothers. 

I  was  dreadfully  unhappy,  even  after  I  came 
here,  not  only  about  this,  but  because  of  all  the 
other  bad  things  I  've  done  all  my  life.  I  Ve 
been  selfish  and  vain,  and  unkind  and  untruth 
ful  and  dishonest,  and  I  almost  wished  I  had 
died  when  I  was  sick,  only  then  I  could  not 
have  gone  to  heaven,  and  I  never  could  have 
cleared  Katie. 


234  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

Since  I  have  been  here  I  have  been  to  church 
a  good  deal  with  my  cousins,  who  are  Congrega- 
tionalists,  and  are  both  going  to  join  the  church. 
There  is  a  daily  service,  and  there  have  been 
a  large  number  of  conversions.  I  have  talked  a 
good  deal  with  my  aunt,  and  I  really  do  want 
to  commence  over  again  and  be  a  good  girl. 
Aunt  Anna  says  that  Jesus  died  so  that  the 
very  worst  sinners  might  be  forgiven,  and  I 
think  he  will  forgive  me.  She  wants  me  to 
stay  and  be  received  with  her  daughters  here, 
but  I  'd  rather  join  the  dear  church  in  Squan- 
town,  with  the  other  girls,  if  you  think  I  might. 

But  I  want  Katie  and  all  the  girls  to  know 
just  how  bad  I  have  been  and  just  how  sorry  I 
am.  Please  tell  them  all  that  I  have  said,  and 
write  and  tell  me  if  you  think  I  might  join  the 
church,  when  I  Ve  been  so  wicked. 

Give  my  best  love  to  Miss  Eunice  and  ask 
her  to  forgive  me,  too. 

Your  affectionate  Sunday  scholar, 

BERTHA  SANDERSON. 

"  I  think  we  may  join  in  the  joy  of  the  angels 
in  the  presence  of  God  over  the  one  sinner 


CLEARED.  235 

that  repenteth,"  said  Miss  Eunice,  as  her  sister 
finished  this  long  and  evidently  earnest  letter. 
"  I  think  you  may  safely  write  to  the  dear  child 
to  come  home  and  commence  her  new  life 
among  us.  Your  class  is  greatly  blessed,  my 
sister,  and  I  think  when  we  remember  what  it 
has  done  for  Gretchen  and  Bertie,  we  may 
well  thank  God  for  the  ship-fever  as  for  an 
angel  in  disguise. 

The  next  Sunday  Etta  Mount  joy  detained 
her  class  a  few  moments  after  the  school 
session,  and  read  to  them  the  whole  of  Bertie's 
letter. 

It  was  received  with  various  expressions  of 
surprise,  which  were  greatly  augmented  when 
the  whole  story  of  the  fifty-dollar  bill  was  told. 

"  I  have  brought  this  all  before  you,  girls,"  she 
said,  "  not  to  make  you  think  hardly  of  Bertie. 
She  has  suffered  too  much  and  is  too  evidently 
sincerely  sorry  for  me  to  do  that.  I  want  you 
to  rejoice  with  me  in  her  repentance,  and  when 
she  comes  back,  to  receive  her  with  full  forgive 
ness  and  sympathy,  and  aid  her  in  her  efforts  to 
lead  a  new  life.  I  thought  you  ought  to  know 
how  well  one  little  girl  among  us  has  behaved 


236  '  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

under  the  most  unjust  suspicions  and  great 
unkindness.  Not  one  of  us  has  understood 
Katie  Robertson.  She  has  known  for  four 
weeks,  from  Bertie's  statement  to  her,  what 
was  the.  real  reason  of  our  avoidance  and 
suspicion,  and  she  has  never  opened  her  mouth 
to  explain  the  true  state  of  the  case  and  clear 
herself,  as  she  might  easily  have  done,  because 
by  so  doing  she  would  have  been  obliged  to 
tell  of  the  unkindness  and  malice  of  her 
companion. 

"  I  think  we  all  ought  to  ask  her  pardon  for 
being  so  ready  to  condemn  her  unheard  and  to 
believe  what  was  whispered  against  her ;  and, 
more  than  that,  we  ought  to  be  very  thankful 
to  the  Lord  for  giving  her  such  a  grand  victory 
over  herself." 

Katie  blushed  and  could  find  nothing  to  say, 
as  one  after  another  the  girls  and  their  teacher 
shook  hands  with  her  and  kissed  her ;  but  it 
was  a  very  happy  heart  the  little  girl  carried 
home  with  her  that  bright  Sunday. 

"  Tessa,"  she  said,  "  it 's  all  true,  every  word  : 

*'  *  Commit  thy  way  unto  the  Lord, 
And  He  shall  bring  it  to  pass.'  v 


SEALED.  237 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

SEALED. 

[HE  first  Sunday  in  September  was  the 
most  beautiful  day  of  the  season  -^ 
cairn,  still,  and  sunshiny.  The  August 
heats  were  abated,  but  no  touch  of  chill  had  yet 
come  into  the  air.  It  was  still  summer,  but 
summer's  fierceness  had  passed  by.  When  the 
bell  of  the  little  gray  stone  church  rang  out 
in  joyous  tones,  multitudes  of  people,  in  bright 
Sunday  attire,  and  with  expectant  faces,  came 
out  of  the  cottages  and  boarding-houses  and, 
singly  or  in  groups,  wound  their  way  up  the 
hill. 

Factory  operatives  are  not,  as  a  rule,  a  very 
church-going  population,  and  the  church  was 
not  wont  to  be  overcrowded  ;  but  to-day  the 
pews  and  seats  are  all  full,  and  so  are  the 
extra  benches  and  chairs  taken  from  the 
Sunday-school  room  and  placed  in  the  aisles. 
Every  one  in  Squantdwn  whd  possesses  a 
sufficiently  decent  wardrobe  in  which  to  appear 


238  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

in  a  place  of  worship  has  turned  out  to-day 
For  to-day  many  of  the  boys  and  girls  are 
to  stand  forth  with  many  of  their  older  friends, 
and  confess  themselves  upon  the  Lord's  side, 
while  their  pastor  prays  that  upon  them  may 
fall  a  fuller  measure  of  that  Good  Spirit,  who 
alone  can  enable  them  to  stand  firm  amid  the 
many  temptations  by  which  they  are  sur 
rounded,  and  while  their  brethren,  who  are 
older  in  the  faith,  promise  to  give  them  all 
the  sympathy  and  help  which  it  is  in  their 
power  to  bestow. 

The  church  has  been  decorated  for  the  occa 
sion  with  a  wealth  of  late  summer  flowers. 
Geraniums,  scarlet,  coral,  pink,  and  white, 
dahlias  of  every  variegated  hue,  asters,  zinnias, 
heliotrope,  ferns,  golden-rod,  and  a  multitude 
more  are  entwined  around  the  pulpit  or 
wreathed  above  windows  and  doors.  Pure 
white  day-lilies  load  the  air  with  perfume,  and 
rare  exotics  from  the  gardens  of  the  "great 
house"  stand  in  exquisitely  arranged  baskets 
upon  the  communion-table.  ,  ... 

The  music,  intended  to  do  special  honor  to 
the  occasion,  is  somewhat .  elaborate,  consider- 


KATIE  ROBERTSON.    See  page  240. 


SEA  LED.  239 

ing  that  the  choir  is  composed  of  the  older 
boys  and  girls  from  the  Sunday-school,  and 
is  therefore  not  so  good  as  usual  from  an 
artistic  point  of  view ;  but  it  is  better  than 
artistic  in  that  it  is  intended  to  do  honor 
to  the  occasion,  and  is  in  many  instances 
the  sincere  thank-offering  of  hearts  glad  to 
give  to  their  Saviour  the  "dew  of  their 
youth." 

It  was  the  endeavor,  not  only  of  the  clergy 
man,  but  also  of  the  whole  Mount  joy  family,  to 
banish  all  class  distinctions  from  the  church, 
and  to  make  rich  and  poor,  as  they  sat  together 
before  God,  "the  maker  of  them  all,"  feel  that 
they  were  all  one  family ;  that  all  had  a  com^ 
mon  ownership  of,  and  interest  in,  the  beauti 
ful  building  and  the  well-conducted  services. 

Thus  the  factory-girls  went  to  the  woods  on 
Saturday  afternoon  for  golden-rod  and  ferns  ;  the 
humblest  families  robbed  their  cottage  gardens 
of  the  few  bright  flowers  they  contained ;  and 
the  boys  gave  willing  assistance  to  Etta  and 
her  class  in  arranging  and  putting  up  the  deco 
rations.  The  whole  congregation  joined  in 
singing  the  hymns  and  such  of  the  chants 


240  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

as  were  familiar,  and  rarely  had  the  singing 
been  heartier. 

The  service  was  over  and  the  sermon,  and 
then,  as  the  last  hymn  was  sung,  the  call  was 
given  for  the  candidates  to  come  forward  in 
answer  to  the  reading  of  their  names.  How 
many  of  them  there  were !  Even  those  who 
had  prayed  most  earnestly  and  labored  most 
actively  were  surprised  at  the  result.  There 
were  six  of  the  elder  girls  composing  Miss 
Eunice's  Bible-class  (the  others  were  already 
communicants) ;  four  of  her  brother's  boys ; 
Etta  and  her  whole  class  of  seven,  —  making 
eighteen  from  the  Sunday-school.  But  there 
were  also  quite  a  number  of  young  men  who 
worked  in  the  factory,  who  had  been  largely 
won  by  James  Mount  joy's  honor  and  integrity, 
added  to  manly  Christianity ;  and  some  young 
women,  and  even  elder  one&,  with  one  or  two 
heads  of  families,  who  had  been  led  by  the  inde 
fatigable  efforts  of  the  pastor  thus  to  openly 
acknowledge  Christ. 

The  gi?ls  were  not  as  a  ruk  dr>«sssd  in  any 
partieijlar  manner.  Etta,  indeed,  and  one  or 
tw©  others,  were  in  white,  because  il  happened 


SEALED.  241 

to  be  more  convenient  and  suitable,  but  neither 
Mr.  Morven  nor  Miss  Eunice  wished  to  have 
the  consciousness  of  dress  interfere  with  the 
solemn  thoughts  of  self-dedication  and  renun 
ciation  of  the  world  appropriate  to  the  occasion. 
Even  with  Bertie  Sanderson,  who  had  come 
home  a  few  days  before,  "  old  things  had 
so  passed  away,"  that  she  wore  a  simple  blue 
gingham,  much  plainer,  and  at  the  same  time 
much  more  becoming,  than  the  costume  in 
which  she  had  originally  appeared  at  the 
mill.  The  solemn  questions  were  asked  and 
answered ;  the  personal  vows  taken ;  earnest, 
solemn  prayers  uttered  and  words  of  wise 
counsel  said,  to  be  long  remembered  and 
heeded  and  acted  upon  in  life's  coming  battles ; 
and  then,  with  a  burst  of  joyful  song,  the 
solemn  service  was  over,  and  those  engaged 
in  it  went  out  from  the  sacred  precincts  to 
fulfil  the  vows  and  exercise  the  grace  among 
the  common  scenes  and  homely  details  of 
daily  life.  To  many,  nay,  to  most,  life  would 
not  be  one  continuous  communion  service; 
the  holy  awe  would  of  necessity  fade  away ; 
the  hymns  and  prayers  be  exchanged  for  the 


242  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

harsh  wrangle  and  barter  of  a  work-day  world ; 
temptation  was  awaiting  many  of  those  new 
church  members  in  unexpected  places,  and 
the  evil  nature  within,  not  yet  wholly  sub 
dued  by  divine  grace,  would  make  the  path 
way  of  holiness  a  very  narrow  one,  along  which 
untrained  feet  would  often  stumble.  But  the 
memory  of  this  hour  would  always  be,  to  those 
who  cherished  it,  a  shield  against  temptation, 
a  counter-charm  against  the  wiles  of  the  evil 
one;  and  since  the  Saviour  whom  they  had 
that  day  openly  avouched  to  be  their  Lord  and 
God  had  promised  "  never  to  leave  or  to  forsake 
them,"  only  victory  could  follow  those  who 
confided  entirely  in  him. 

"Tessa,"  said  Katie,  when  the  two  girls  were 
alone  together  that  afternoon,  "  I  did  n't 
know  you  were  going  to  join  the  church  till 
this  morning.  Why  did  n't  you  tell  me 
before?" 

"Well,  you  see  I  didn't  make  up  my  mind 
till  yesterday  afternoon.  Then  I  went  to  Miss 
Etta,  and  she  took  me  to  Mr.  Morven,  and  he 
took  my  name  and  encouraged  me  to  come." 

"What  made  you  think  of  it  ?" 


SEALED.  243 

"  You  first.  I  did  n't  see  how  you  could  be 
so  gentle  and  patient  when  everybody  was 
condemning  you  and  thinking  evil  of  you. 
Then  I  watched  you  at  your  work,  and  saw  how 
faithful  you  were,  whether  any  one  saw  you  or 
not,  just  as  if  you  felt  that  God  was  looking  at 
you,  and  you  wanted  to  please  him." 

"  So  I  did.  I  took  for  my  text,  in  the  mill, 
the  verse  :  '  In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  him.' ' 

"Then,"  continued  Tessa,  "when  you 
wanted  me  to  give  up  reading  those  novels  I 
was  real  mad  at  first.  I  thought  you  had  no 
right  to  find  fault  with  what  I  did,  and  that  it 
was  very  mean  in  you,  who  had  a  comfortable 
home  and  a  mother  and  two  brothers,  to  want 
to  take  away  the  only  pleasure  from  me  who 
had  nothing.  But  when  you  talked  with  me  so 
sweetly,  and  when  you  asked  me  to  come  and 
live  with  you,  and  your  mother  took  in  the 
stranger  that  no  one  knew  anything  about  and 
treated  me  just  like  one  of  her  own  children,  I 
knew  that  you  did  it  just  out  of  kindness,  and 
I  tried  to  see  what  made  you  so  kind." 

"I  don't  think  I  'm  kind,"  said  Katie,  "  but  I 
do  want  to  be." 


244  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

"  The  only  reason  I  went  to  Sunday-school 
and  church  with  you,"  continued  her  friend, 
"was  to  find  out  what  it  was  that  made  you  so 
different  from  the  other  girls,  and  there  I  heard 
all  about  Jesus,  so  different  from  what  the 
priests  used  to  say  at  home.  There  were  no 
crucifixes,  no  pictures  in  the  church,  as  there 
were  in  Italy,  and  yet  he  seemed  to  be  more 
real  than  he  ever  did  there,  and  I  found 
myself  beginning  to  love  him  almost  before 
I  knew  it." 

"I'm  so  glad!" 

"  So  am  I ;  but  I  don't  think  I  ever  quite  saw 
what  he  was,  how  he  laid  down  his  life,  for  his 
enemies  I  mean,  till  you  went  to  take  care  of 
Bertie,  at  the  risk  of  your  own  life,  and  stayed 
there  when  you  knew  how  badly  she  had 
treated  you,  and  never  said  a  word  afterward 
for  fear  it  would  hurt  her.  It  showed  me  just 
how  he  cares  for  all  of  us  and  wants  to  help 
us,  even  those  who  don't  like  him  and  don't 
want  to  take  his  help,  and  I  made  up  my 
mind  to  give  myself  to  him  and  take  him 
for  my  Saviour  that  very  night  when  you 
asked  me  to." 


SEALED.  245 

"  Why  did  n't  you  tell  me  ?  " 

"  Somehow  I  could  n't.  I  could  n't  talk  about 
such  things ;  they  seemed  too  sacred.  And 
one  reason  I  did  n't  give  in  my  name  with  the 
others  that  day  at  Miss  Etta's  was  because  I 
was  afraid  Miss  Eunice  or  somebody,  the  min 
ister,  perhaps,  would  ask  me  questions." 

"  Did  n't  you  want  to  talk  to  the  minister  ? " 

"  No ;  it  seemed  like  going  to  confession, 
and  that  I  promised  my  father  I  'd  never  do. 
Besides,  I  didn't  think  I  was  good  enough." 

"  Why,  we  're  none  of  us  good  enough,  Miss 
Eunice  says." 

"  I  know  ;  I  listened  to  all  the  readings  and 
the  talk  and  the  lectures,  and  by-and-by  I  got 
to  see  things  that  I  had  n't  understood  before, 
and  how  it  is  not  because  we  are  good  and 
strong,  but  because  we  're  sinful  and  weak,  that 
we  need  a  Saviour  and  all  the  influences  of  the 
church.  And  so,  just  at  the  very  last  moment, 
I  prayed  for  bravery  enough  to  tell  Miss  Etta, 
and  she  went  with  me  to  Mr.  Morven,  and  he 
told  me  I  was  just  the  one  to  come,  if  I  really 
loved  the  Lord  Jesus  ever  so  little  and  wanted 
to  do  his  will.  He  was  just  as  kind  and  gentle, 
and  it  was  n't  a  bit  like  confession,  for  he  did  n't 


246  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

ask  me  any  string  of  questions  and  did  n't  say 
the  absolution  —  just  talked  to  us  both,  prayed, 
and  sent  us  home.  I  'm  so  glad  I  decided.  I 
never  felt  so  happy  in  my  life  before." 

"  Nor  I,"  said  Katie.  "  It  doesn't  seem  as  if 
anything  ever  could  be  hard  or  hateful  again." 

So  felt  a  good  many  young  hearts  that  quiet 
Sunday  night  as  they  returned  from  the  even 
ing  service,  where  the  pastor  preached  a  special 
sermon  to  those  of  his  flock  who  had  just 
openly  enlisted  in  the  army  of  the  Cross, 
welcoming  them  once  more  into  the  "  com 
munion  of  saints,"  pointing  out  the  responsibili 
ties  they  had  assumed  and  the  difficulties  in 
their  way,  but  at  the  same  time  congratulating 
them  on  the  assured  strength  and  aid  which 
were  promised  to  make  them  "more  than 
conquerors  through  him  who  hath  loved  us." 

And  as  life  glided  by,  bringing  its  inevitable 
portion  of  care  and  suffering  to  each,  no  one  of 
that  band  was  ever  sorry,  as  he  looked  back  to 
the  services  of  that  bright  September  Sunday, 
that  young  hands  and  young  hearts  had  then 
been  laid  trustingly  into  the  hands  of  their 
Saviour,  and  that  they  set  out  upon  life's 
journey  clad  in  the  invincible  armor  of  faith. 


AFTER  WARD.  247 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

AFTERWARD. 

|HE  soft,  sweet  summer-time  had  quite 
passed  away.  Bright  autumn  had  fol 
lowed,  with  its  glory  of  gorgeous 
leaves  and  piles  of  golden  fruit.  November's 
fierce  blast  had  begun  to  toss  the  leafless 
branches,  and  Thanksgiving  day  was  at  hand. 

Nearly  three  months  had  passed  since  our 
young  friends  had  stood  forth  to  receive  the 
seal  of  their  discipleship.  Three  months  of 
testing  time  they  had  proved  to  be  —  months 
in  which  the  true  attitude  of  the  souls  of 
those  who  had  then  presented  their  bodies  as 
a  living  sacrifice  might  become  plain  both  to 
themselves  and  their  friends. 

No  greater  mistake  can  be  made  than  for 
young  people  to  suppose  that  the  recommenda 
tion  of  their  Sunday-school  teachers,  their 
pastor,  or  even  their  parents,  is  an  assurance 
that  they  are  really  fit  subjects  for  a  confession 
of  Christ.  All  these,  it  is  true,  are  watching 


248  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

them,  both  in  their  actions  and  in  the  tempers 
which  they  thus  exhibit,  as  those  that  must  give 
an  account  for  their  souls ;  but  only  God  can  see 
the  heart  —  only  themselves  can  know  whether 
they  are  sincere  in  their  purpose  to  love  and 
serve  him. 

Young  girls  are  very  ,  easily  influenced. 
Often  they  come  forward  in  the  church  because 
a  good  many  of  their  companions  are  coming 
and  they  do  not  want  to  be  left  behind  ;  some 
times  because  it  makes  them  of  temporary  im 
portance  ;  and  sometimes  simply  because  of  the 
transient  excitement,  without  any  thought  of  the 
solemn  vows  they  are  going  to  assume  and  the 
new  life  which  in  the  future  they  are  to  be  ex 
pected  to  lead.  And  this  in  spite  of  all  the  instruc 
tions  given  and  the  watchful  care  exercised  by 
pastor  and  friends.  No  wonder,  then,  that  the 
first  few  months  after  a  public  profession  are 
anxious  ones  to  all  those  who  have  had  any  part 
in  smoothing  the  way  thereto  for  their  young 
friends. 

And  yet,  let  no  girl  or  boy  be  discouraged 
from  taking  a  stand  which  is  both  duty  and 
privilege  by  these  remarks.  All  that  God  de- 


AFTER  WARD. 


249 


mands  of  those  who  confess  Christ  —  or,  as  it  is 
popularly  incorrectly  called,  "  make  a  profession 
of  religion  "  —is  sincerity  of  heart  and  purpose  ; 
sincere  sorrow,  no  matter  how  slight,  for  past 
sin ;  sincere  faith  in  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  to 
atone  for  and  forgive  sin  ;  sincere  purpose  of 
obeying  God's  commandments  for  the  future, 
with  sincere  consciousness  of  weakness  added 
to  sincere  trust  in  the  all-sufficient  strength  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  Every  boy  or  girl  old  enough 
to  think  is  capable  of  this  sincerity  ;  and  thus 
every  one  is  bound  to  obey  the  express 
command  of  his  Saviour  and  confess  him  before 
men. 

But,  of  course,  if  the  confession  be  not  sin 
cere,  in  a  very  short  time,  when  the  novelty  and 
excitement  have  worn  away,  the  interest  in 
sacred  things  will  wear  away  also,  and  very  soon 
something  will  be  said  or  done  that  will  be  a 
dreadful  disgrace  to  the  confession  thus  care 
lessly  or  wickedly  made. 

Still  another  mistake  is  often  made  by  young 
people,  and  this  is  one  calculated  to  do  great 
mischief,  as  it  is  often  made  by  those  who  are 
sincerely  desirous  of  serving  God.  For  weeks 


250  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

preceding  the  open  step  they  have  devoted  a 
great  deal  of  time  to  meetings,  prayer,  and  Bible- 
reading,  and  their  interest  in  these  things  has 
almost  put  secular  ones  out  of  their  heads. 
But  when  that  long  -  anticipated  day  is  over, 
they  feel  somehow  that  the  end  is  reached, 
instead  of  looking  on  this  end  as  only  the  first 
step  in  a  newer  and  better  life.  Other  duties 
and  interests  resume  their  relative  importance. 
There  are  not  so  many  meetings  to  go  to,  Bible- 
reading  becomes  more  hurried,  prayers  are  less 
fervent,  and  all  at  once  the  young  communicant 
falls  into  some  open  sin  and  is  filled  with  grief 
and  remorse. 

Oh,  if  every  boy  and  girl,  every  man  and 
woman,  who  has  been  brought  into  outward 
and  inward  communion  with  Christ,  would  only 
realize  that  he  or  she  is  to  go  onward,  never 
ceasing  to  pray  and  strive  against  evil ;  ever 
pressing  on  for  more  and  more  of  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  striving  each  day  to  be  more  and  more 
like  Christ,  —  then  would  be  realized  what  is 
meant  by  the  words  of  the  wise  king :  "  The 
path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shining  light  that 
shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day." 


AFTER  WARD.  2  5  I 

"  Don't  you  think  it  would  be  nice  to  have 
a  Harvest  Home  Festival  for  the  Sunday-school 
on  Thanksgiving  ?  "  said  Etta  Mount]  oy  to  her 
brother  and  sister  one  autumn  afternoon. 

"  I  never  saw  one,"  said  Eunice,  whose  duties 
as  housekeeper  had  kept  her  rather  closely 
confined  at  home  for  some  years. 

"  Oh,  I  have.  When  I  was  at  Altona  last 
fall,  the  church  was  decorated  with  grain  and 
grasses  and  fruits,  and  even  vegetables.  It  was 
just  lovely  !  " 

"  I  should  think  it  might  be,"  said  James ; 
"  and  I  don't  see  why  we  should  not  have  one 
if  Mr.  Morven  has  no  objection.  But  it  will 
be  a  good  deal  of  work  to  carry  it  through 
successfully,  and  I  hate  that  sort  of  thing  when 
it's  a  failure." 

"  I  aon't  mind  work,"  said  Etta.  "  I  want 
something  to  do  —  something  for  the  church,  I 
mean  ;  and  the  girls  do,  too  —  something  to 
take  the  place  of  our  readings  and  talks. 
Sometimes  I  wish  it  were  not  all  over,  but  there 
were  something  still  to  look  forward  to." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  you  are  sorry  that  you 
are  really  admitted  to  the  communion  of  the 


252  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

Church,  and  have  openly  placed  yourself  on  the 
Lord's  side?" 

"  No  !  Of  course  not,"  said  the  girl,  blushing. 
"  But  things  are  getting  flat.  I  want  something 
new  ;  you  know  I  always  did." 

"Yes,"  said  her  brother;  "we  all  know,  Etta. 
But,  seriously,  I  trust  my  little  sister  will  never 
be  tired  of  the  blessed  service  and  fellowship 
into  which  she  has  been  so  recently  admitted. 
You  know  what  is  written  about  those  who  put 
their  hands  to  the  plow  and  look  back." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  mean  to  look  back ;  I  don't  want 
to.  I  'd  rather  belong  to  the  church  and  work 
for  Christ  than  anything  else  in  the  world. 
What  I  want  is  work.  Don't  you  see  ?  " 

"Well,  dear,  if  you  think  you  can  manage 
the  work  I  '11  find  the  money,  though  I  don't 
suppose  it  will  cost  a  great  deal." 

So  it  came  to  pass  that  those  bright  autumn 
Saturday  afternoons  were  spent  by  Etta  and 
her  girls  in  the  woods,  where,  with  the  aid  of 
such  boys  as  could  get  away  from  their  work,  a 
store  of  scarlet,  golden,  and  variegated  autumn 
leaves  was  laid  in,  with  late  ferns  and  hardy 
brackens,  curious  bits  of  moss,  seed-vessels, 


A  FTER  WARD.  253 

and  dried  grass  being  added  to  the  store. 
These  were  all  taken  to  Mrs.  Robertson's,  whose 
large  garret  was  offered  foV  their  reception  and 
preservation,  and  after  tea  the  girls  ironed  and 
varnished  the  leaves  which  could  not  be 
detached  from  the  boughs,  and  pressed  the 
smaller  ones  between  the  leaves  of  newspapers, 
which  were  collected  for  the  purpose  from 
neighbors,  the  younger  Sunday  scholars  who 
were  not  in  the  mill  being  thus  employed. 

Then,  on  Wednesday  evening,  at  Miss 
Eunice's  "  tea-party,"  which  of  necessity  was 
held  indoors,  now  that  darkness  came  early 
and  the  nights  were  chill,  the  girls  of  the 
two  classes  covered  pasteboard  stars,  crosses, 
crowns,  and  monograms  with  leaves  and  mosses 
neatly  stitched  on  —  bound  rich  yellow  wheat- 
stalks  into  sheaves,  and  made  plumes  and 
tassels  of  dried  grasses  and  seeds. 

Merry  chatter  helped  the  work  forward. 
Miss  Eunice  did  not  wish  her  girls  to  look 
upon  religion  and  the  church's  service  as  a 
thing  of  gloom.  She  knew  that  God  has 
"given  us  all  things  richly  to  enjoy,"  and  that 
the  way  to  hallow  pleasure  and  prevent  its 


254  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

being  nurtful  is  "  in  all  our  ways  to  acknowledge 
him." 

Moreover,  these  srfcial,  familiar  talks,  when 
every  one  was  off  her  guard,  afforded  capital 
opportunities  of  studying  character  with  a  view 
to  affording  to  the  young  pilgrims  such  aid  and 
advice  as  might  be  useful  to  them  in  their 
heavenward  journey. 

Of  all  the  young  work-women,  Tessa  showed 
the  most  taste  and  ingenuity  in  the  grouping 
of  leaves  and  arranging  of  ferns,  and  her  beauti 
ful  combinations  constantly  called  forth  the 
admiration  of  both  companions  and  teachers. 
The  little  Italian  received  their  commendations 
very  meekly,  but  did  not  thereby  escape  excit 
ing  the  jealousy  of  Bertie  Sanderson,  who,  on 
putting  together  some  very  fiery  leaves  with 
out  any  attempt  at  toning  down,  received 
from  Miss  Eunice  a  few  gentle  suggestions 
concerning  shadow,  high  lights,  etc.  "  It 's  too 
mean,"  she  whispered  to  her  nearest  neighbor, 
as  she  took  her  seat,  "  that  beggar  from  the 
poor-house  gets  more  notice  than  all  the  rest  of 
us  put  together." 

Her  companion  stared,  for  she  was   one   of 


AFTER  WA RD.  255 

those  girls  who  had  almost  made  up  her  mind 
to  become  a  Christian,  but  had  remained 
undecided  till  too  late,  because  she  had  an 
idea  that  a  person  could  not  dare  to  join  the 
church  till  she  was  as  holy  as  an  angel. 

"There's  Katie  Robertson,  too,"  continued 
Bertie ;  "  she  '11  be  sure  to  be  praised,  if  her 
work 's  hideous.  That 's  what  it  is  to  be  a 
favorite." 

"Why,  Bertie,"  said  the  other,  "you're  real 
spiteful.  I  think  Katie  's  just  the  nicest  girl. 
Anyway,  I  couldn't  talk  as  you  do  if  I  had 
joined  the  church." 

"But  you  ought  to  have  joined  the  church 
because  it  was  your  duty,"  said  Bertie,  who 
could  very  clearly  see  the  mote  in  her  sister's 
eye,  in  spite  of  the  beam  in  her  own.  "  You 
will  be  a  Christian  soon,  won't  you  ?  It 's  so 
nice." 

"  Not  I.  If  religion  don't  make  people  better 
than  you  are,  I  don't  want  anything  to  do  with 
it ;  I  'd  rather  stay  as  I  am,"  was  the  sincere,  if 
not  very  polite,  answer.  And  then  Bertie's 
conscience  awoke,  and  she  began  to  see  what 
harm  she  was  doing,  She  was  very  uneasy  all 


256  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 

the  rest  of  the  evening,  and  still  more  so  when, 
at  its  close,  Miss  Eunice  asked  her  to  stop  a 
few  moments,  as  she  had  something  to  say 
to  her. 

Miss  Eunice  had  overheard  the  conversation 
we  have  recorded,  and  had  noted  the  cross, 
spiteful  expression  of  the  girl's  face,  and  had 
grieved  much  as  she  saw  her  Saviour  thus 
"  wounded  in  the  house  of  his  friends."  She 
spoke  seriously  to  Bertie  so  soon  as  they  were 
alone,  and  found  the  latter  already  repentant 
and  quite  willing  to  acknowledge  her  fault. 

"  But  what  am  I  to  do,  Miss  Eunice  ?  I 
am  jealous,  and  I  do  feel  hateful  sometimes. 
I  don't  want  to  feel  so,  but  I  can't  help  it. 
If  I  did  n't  speak,  I  should  feel  it  all  the 
same." 

"But,  my  dear,  you  have  promised,  in  the 
most  solemn  way,  to  renounce  '  the  devil  and 
all  his  works.'  Pride,  malice,  envy,  jealousy  are 
emphatically  works  of  the  devil." 

"  I  know,  Miss  Eunice  ;  and  I  thought  it  would 
be  all  taken  away.  The  minister  in  the  city 
told  us  that  Jesus  is  'the  Lamb  of  God,  who 
taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world.'  I  thought 
if  I  came  to  him  he  would  take  mine  away." 


AFTERWARD^  257 

"  So  he  has,  so  he  will.  Try  to  understand 
me.  When  he  hung  upon  the  cross  he  bore  the 
penalty  due  to  the  sins  of  the  whole  world,  and 
of  course  to  yours.  In  that  sense  he  has  already 
taken  them  away.  But  in  another  sense,  that 
of  your  daily  life,  your  character,  he  will  take 
the  evil  of  that  away  just  as  fast  as  you  will  let 
him." 

"  Let  him  ?  How  do  you  mean  ?  I  am  sure 
I  want  to  be  good." 

"  Yes,  in  a  lump,  altogether,  you  want  to  be 
good,  very  good;  but  without  any  trouble  or 
self-denial.  You  did  n't  want  to  keep  from 
saying  those  spiteful  things  about  Tessa  and 
Katie  a  little  while  ago,  or  he  would  have  helped 
you  do  it.  You  did  n't  want  the  jealous,  envious 
feelings  taken  out  of  your  heart  ykr/  then,  or  he 
would  have  taken  them." 

"How,  Miss  Eunice?" 

"  Whatsoever  you  ask  in  prayer,  believing,  ye 
shall  receive,"  said  she. 

"  But  do  you  mean  I  ought  to  have  kneeled 
down  to  pray  then,  just  that  moment,  before  all 
the  girls  ? " 

"It  is  not  necessary  always  to  kneel   down 


258  KA  TIE   ROBER TSON. 

when  we  pray ;  though  it  is  best  to  do  so  when 
we  can.  There  are  often  times  when  our  work 
would  suffer,  or  when  we  are  so  surrounded  by 
others  that  it  would  be  impossible.  But  a  few 
earnest  words  spoken  in  the  silence  of  our  own 
hearts  will  always  bring  our  strong,  loving 
Saviour  to  our  help ;  and  we  may,  every  time, 
no  matter  what  our  temptations  are,  be  *  more 
than  conquerors  through  him  who  hath  loved 
us.'  " 

"Every  time  ?     Oh,  Miss  Eunice  !  " 

"  Yes,  every  time.  You  know  we  constantly 
ask  the  Lord  'to  keep  us  each  day  without 
sin.'  How  can  we  utter  such  a  prayer  in  faith 
if  we  don't  believe  that  it  can  be  granted  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  but  temptations  are  so  sudden,  and 
take  you  just  where  you  're  the  weakest." 

"  I  know.  And  therefore  we  should  be  fully 
armed  beforehand.  Bertie,  did  you  read  your 
Bible  and  pray  this  morning  ? " 

"No!"  said  the  girl,  flushing.  "I  always 
mean  to ;  but  it 's  so  dark  in  the  mornings 
now,  and  mill-time  comes  so  soon.  It's  'just 
as  much  as  I  can  do  to  get  there  in  time,  any 
way." 


AFTERWARD.  259 

"  Yet  you  find  time  for  your  breakfast  ?  " 

"  I  could  n't  live  without  eating." 

"  Nor  can  you  live  spiritually  without  feed 
ing  daily  upon  Christ,  through  the  study  of  his 
Word  and  prayer.  I  would  sooner  go  without 
my  breakfast  than  without  my  early  commun 
ion  with  him.  Bertie,  there  are  '  no  gains 
without  pains.'  If  you  are  really  desirous,  as  I 
believe  you  are,  to  overcome  your  own  evil 
habits  and  tendencies,  and  grow  to  be  like 
Christ,  you  must  begin  every  day  with  prayer 
for  his  help  ;  you  must  watch  yourself  and  your 
surroundings,  and  in  the  moment  of  temptation 
you  must  turn  instantly  to  him  who  says  that 
he  is  '  a  very  present  help  in  trouble/  and  who 
has  promised  to  '  supply  all  our  need  according 
to  his  riches  in  glory.' ' 

Poor  Bertie  !  A  hard  fight  was  before  her. 
Fourteen  years  of  unresisted  pride,  jealousy, 
and  ill-will  had  formed  habits  that  were  hard 
to  break  —  fourteen  years  of  caring  for  no 
one's  pleasure  but  her  own.  In  brief,  fourteen 
years  of  worshiping  herself  had  helped  to  form 
a  character  which  would  need  a  good  deal  of 
chiseling  before  it  should  grow  into  an  image 


26O  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

of  Christ.  But  he  had  undertaken  the  work. 
Miss  Eunice  had  shown  her  how  to  avail  herself 
of  his  offered  help,  and  as  she  took  her  teacher's 
advice,  we  may  be  sure  that  in  the  end  she  gained 
the  victory. 


A    WARNING.  261 


CHAPTER   XX. 

A  WARING. 

|O  the  short,  bright  autumn  days  and  the 
long,  chill  evenings  passed  quickly  and 
pleasantly  away.  All  were  busy  and 
happy,  and  were  beginning  to  find  that  in  spite 
of  conflicts  and  self-denials  "  wisdom's  ways 
are  pleasantness  and  all  her  paths  are  peace." 
The  preparations  for  the  Thanksgiving  festival 
progressed  rapidly,  but  before  the  time  came  to 
put  the  plans  in  execution  a  very  terrible 
thing  happened  in  Squantown.  Faces  turned 
white,  voices  were  hushed,  work  was  suspended 
at  the  mill,  in  the  stores,  and  even  upon  farms. 
One  home,  where  a  loving  mother  bowed  in 
deepest  agony,  was  shrouded  in  gloom,  while 
others  were  filled  with  the  sympathy  of 
mourning. 

The  Mount  joys  first  heard  the  news  at 
Sunday-school,  where  Etta  found  her  class  so 
full  of  the  horror  that  they  could  attend  to 
nothing  else.  The  stories  of  the  girls  were 


262  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

confused,  and  differed  as  to  details,  but  their 
teacher  elicited  from  them  the  facts,  which  were 
as  follows  :  — 

Harry  Pemberton,  one  of  the  best  hands  in 
the  mill,  one  of  the  pteasantest  young  fellows  in 
Squantown,  so  the  grown-up  girls  thought, 
the  very  idol  of  the  widowed  mother  who  had 
only  him,  had  gone  out  with  some  companions 
on  a  Saturday  night  "  spree  "  to  a  high  cliff  in 
the  neighborhood.  They  carried  with  them  a 
barrel  of  beer  and  some  bottles  of  whiskey,  of 
which,  however,  the  others  drank  but  little.  A 
foolish  bet  was  made  between  him  and  one  of 
the  elder  men,  as  to  which  could  drink  the  most 
"  lager,"  and  the  others,  soon  tiring  of  the  con 
test,  left  the  two  with  the  bet  still  undecided. 
The  sequel  was  involved  in  mystery,  for  the 
other  man,  who  was  a  stranger  in  the  place,  had 
disappeared,  and  when  the  bright  autumn  sun 
shone  out  on  Sunday  morning,  it  showed  to  the 
early  passers-by  the  dead  body  of  poor  Harry, 
bruised,  broken,  and  disfigured,  at  the  foot  of 
the  cliff.  Whether  the  beer  they  had  taken 
made  him  and  his  companion  quarrelsome  and 
he  was  pushed  over  in  a  fight,  or  whether 


A    WARNING.  263 

Harry,  stupefied,  fell  asleep  on  the  edge  and 
rolled  over  in  his  unconsciousness,  was  never 
known.  The  boon  companion  never  came 
back  to  testify,  and  the  coroner's  jury  brought 
in  a  verdict  of  "  accidentally  killed."  : 

On  Wednesday  the  mills  were  closed,  that  all 
might  have  an  opportunity  of  attending  the 
funeral  services,  which  were  intensely  solemn 
and  impressive.  Harry  had  at  one  time  been 
a  member  of  Mr.  James's  Bible-class,  and 
during  the  recent  religious  interest  his  former 
teacher  and  employer  had  more  than  once 
urged  upon  him  to  break  away  from  the  evil 
companions  and  bad  influences  by  which  he 
had  allowed  himself  to  be  surrounded,  and  take 
his  stand  on  the  Lord's  side,  finding  in  the 
church  and  its  associations  help  to  become  a 
noble  and  good  man.  At  one  time  he  had 
seemed  to  be  almost  persuaded,  and  his  friend 
had  great  hopes  of  him,  but  his  companions  and 
their  influence  had  proved  to  be  too  strong.  He 
had  gone  back  to  his  evil  ways,  trusting,  per 
haps,  to  "  a  more  convenient  season,"  which, 
alas  !  never  came  to  him. 

1  An  actual  occurrence. 


264  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

The  clergyman  detailed  these  facts  to  his 
hearers,  among  whom  were,  of  course,  all  the 
young  men  of  the  place ;  and  while  delicately 
avoiding  hazarding  any  suggestions  as  to  the 
present  or  future  condition  of  their  unfortunate 
companion,  pressed  upon  all  present  the  im 
portance  of  calling  upon  the  Lord  "  while  he 
may  be  found,"  and  the  awful  risk  of  delay. 

"No  one  could  have  supposed,"  said  Mr. 
Morven,  "when  poor  Harry  trifled  with  the 
most  important  of  all  questions,  his  soul's 
salvation,  and  put  off  his  final  decision  till  some 
'  more  convenient  season/  that  that  season 
would  never  come  to  him." 

Of  all  the  young  men  of  Squantown  he  had 
seemed  the  least  likely  to  be  suddenly  called 
into  eternity.  Yet  he  had  been,  in  a  con 
dition,  too,  in  which  any  one  would  least  like  to 
be  found  when  called  suddenly  to  stand  before 
God  and  answer  for  the  deeds  done  in  the  body. 
Who  would  be  called  next  ?  Was  that  one  all 
ready?  Therefore,  he  once  more  urged  upon 
his  hearers,  "  Prepare  to  meet  thy  God."  Nor 
did  the  earnest  pastor  fail  to  draw  attention 
to  the  lessons  concerning  the  use  of  intoxicat- 


A    WARNING.  205 

ing  liquors,  in  any  form  or  degree,  which  the 
occasion  so  plainly  afforded.  It  was  not  as  an 
habitual  drunkard  that  Harry  Pemberton  met 
his  fate,  nor  was  it  from  the  use  of  what  is 
usually  denominated  "strong  drink."  Lager 
beer,  considered  and  spoken  of  by  many  as  "  a 
temperance  beverage,"  was  responsible  for  the 
mischief,  and  the  thoughtless  joke  of  careless 
young  men  had  hurried  one  of  them,  known  to 
all  present  as  a  boy  of  great  promise,  uncalled 
into  the  immediate  presence  of  God.  Perhaps 
a  better  object-lesson  for  total  abstinence 
could  not  have  been  found,  since  it  is  the 
occasional  drinkers,  who  are  not  as  yet  bound 
by  the  chains  of  almost  irresistible  habit,  to 
whom  alone  such  an  appeal  can  be  made  with 
any  prospect  of  success.  Poor  Harry  had  been 
precisely  one  of  these,  and  probably  no  young 
man  in  Squantown  had  considered  himself 
farther  from  meeting  death  as  the  result  of 
intemperance; 

This  sad  and  sudden  death  made  a  great 
impression  upon  James  Mount  joy.  Always  a 
perfectly  temperate  man,  as  became  an  earnest, 
devoted  young  Christian,  he  had  never  been 


266  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 

known  as  a  temperance  man,  that  is,  an  advocate 
of  total  abstinence  principles,  and  an  active 
worker  in  the  cause.  But  he  now  was  deeply 
impressed  with  his  responsibility  and  duty  in 
this  respect  ;  and  accustomed  to  turning  good 
impressions  at  once  to  their  legitimate  results, 
—  good  actions, — he,  with  his  father's  full 
consent,  called  a  meeting  of  all  the  men  con 
nected  with  the  mill,  that  night,  and  presented 
to  them  a  total-abstinence  pledge,  which  he 
was  the  first  man  to  sign. 

"I  have  always,"  said  he,  "been  opposed  to 
such  pledges.  I  thought  a  Christian  communi 
cant  might  be  trusted  to  use  all  these  things 
in  moderation,  and  that  it  was,  somehow,  an 
undervaluing  of  his  church  privileges,  to  say 
nothing  of  his  manhood,  to  bind  himself  by 
anything  else.  I  will  confess,  also,  to  having 
occasionally  enjoyed  a  glass  of  wine  or  cham 
pagne.  But  I  have  completely  changed  my 
mind.  Who  knows  what  might  happen  to  me, 
in  some  unguarded  moment,  if  I  should 
continue  to  tamper  with  that  which  is  in  its 
very  nature  a  deceiver  ?  But,  even  supposing 
I  were  to  escape  all  evil  consequences,  some 


A    WARNING.  267 

one  weaker  or  less  favored  than  I  am  might  be 
influenced  by  my  example  to  take  that  which 
would  injure  him  in  body  or  soul.  St.  Paul 
said  he  would  '  eat  no  more  meat  and  drink  no 
more  wine  while  the  world  standeth,'  if  it 
should  cause  his  brother  to  offend,  so  I  have 
resolved  that  not  another  drop  of  anything  that 
can  intoxicate  shall  ever  pass  my  lips,  and  if  it 
will  be  any  help  for  any  of  you  to  make  or  keep 
to  a  similar  resolution,  I  will  be  the  first  to 
'sign  away  my  liberty,  as  pledge-signing  is 
foolishly  called."  And  he  wrote  fames  Mountjoy 
in  clear  letters  at  the  head  of  the  paper. 

A  great  cheer  greeted  the  action,  and  many 
men  and  boys  pressed  forward  to  follow  their 
young  employer's  example.  Elderly  men  they 
were,  some  of  them,  who  had  tried  again  and 
again  to  break  off  a  habit  which  they  felt 
to  be  injuring  them  and  defrauding  their 
families,  and  who  found  a  great  moral  support 
in  being  thus  associated  with  others,  one  of 
whom  stood  in  such  relation  to  themselves. 
Others  were  young  men  who  greatly  admired 
and  emulated  Mr.  James,  and  who  had  hereto 
fore  justified  themselves  in  acquiring  a  taste 


268  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

for  whiskey  on  the  ground  that  the  young 
gentleman  was  known  occasionally  to  indulge 
in  ale  and  champagne.  And  still  others  were 
boys,  who  liked  to  do  what  their  elders  did, 
by  way  of  appearing  manly,  and  whose  adher 
ence,  given  to  the  right  side  of  the  question, 
before  they  had  had  an  opportunity  of  acquiring 
a  taste  for  intoxicants,  was  a  great  gain  on  the 
side  of  righteousness. 

Eric  and  Alfred  were  among  these  latter,  and 
though  neither  had  as  yet  spent  an  evening 
away  from  home,  nor,  to  her  knowledge,  knew 
the  taste  of  liquor,  their  mother,  when  she 
was  told  of  it,  gave  hearty  thanks  that  another 
safeguard  against  evil  had  been  thrown  around 
her  boys. 

Some  of  the  men  declined  to  sign  the  pledge, 
one  saying  in  a  surly  manner  that  he  was  not 
going  to  be  coerced  into  doing  a  thing  of  this 
kind.  Mr.  Mountjoy  paid  for  his  work,  not  his 
principles,  and  he  should  eat  and  drink  just 
what  he  liked.  To  him  James  replied,  pleas 
antly,  that  he  did  not  wish  to  coerce  any  one. 
Those  who  were  conscientiously  opposed  to 
signing  a  pledge  would,  of  course,  not  be 


A    WARNING.  269 

expected  to  do  so,  but  he  had  no  doubt  he 
should  have  the  unanimous  support  of  all 
present  in  whatever  efforts  might  be  made  to 
put  down  the  growing  evils  of  intemperance. 
James  Mountjoy  never  did  anything  by 
halves.  He  at  once  threw  himself  earnestly 
into  the  temperance  reform  ;  supplied  himself 
with  books  and  papers,  and  became  thoroughly 
conversant  with  all  phases  of  the  question, 
wondering,  as  he  did  so,  how  as  a  Christian 
man  he  could  so  long  have  overlooked  his 
duty  in  this  matter.  Resolved  to  do  so  no 
longer,  he  at  once  commenced  a  series  of 
temperance  meetings,  inviting  speakers  and 
lecturers  to  come  to  Squantown  and  make  the 
people  intelligent  total  abstainers.  He  did 
not  select  so  much  men  who  were  noted  for 
their  fervid  oratory,  nor  yet  reformed  drunk 
ards  who  often  divert  their  audiences  with 
amusing  accounts  of  their  past  performances 
while  under  the  influence  of  strong  drink, 
but  plain,  common-sense  business  men,  who 
put  before  their  hearers  in  simple  terms  the 
evils  that  the  manufacture,  sale,  and  consump 
tion  of  alcohol  work  to  the  purses,  bodies,  and 
souls  of  any  community. 


270  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

He  also  added  to  the  library  at  the  factory 
reading-room  a  number  of  valuable  works  on 
the  nature  and  effects  of  alcohol ;  and  before 
the  winter  was  over  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
a  very  marked  change  in  the  condition  of  the 
factory  people  as  the  result  of  his  efforts. 


THE  DO    GOOD   SOCIETY.  2Jl 


CHAPTER   XXL 

THE  DO  GOOD   SOCIETY. 


the  girls  at  Miss  Eunice's 
tea-party  had  been  busily  discussing 
the  funeral  and  its  sad  cause. 

"  What  an  awful  thing  intemperance  is  !  "  said 
one  of  the  elder  girls.  "Even  women  some 
times  drink  to  excess  ;  and  how  many  others 
surfer  from  its  effects  in  their  husbands  and 
fathers.  I  wish  we  girls  could  do  something 
to  put  it  down." 

"You  can,"  said  Etta.  "If  every  girl  in 
the  land  were  to  set  her  foot  down  against 
having  anything  to  do  with  young  men  who 
drink,  there  would  soon  be  a  change.  I  am 
resolved,"  she  said,  in  her  old  impetuous  way, 
"never  to  associate  with  any  young  man,  no 
matter  how  good  or  elegant  he  may  be,  who 
even  tastes  wine  occasionally." 

"  That  is  a  rash  resolve,  Etta,"  said  her  sister, 
"and  one  that  I  fear  you  will  find  it  hard  to 
carry  out.  Yet,  what  you  say  is  right,  in  the 


272  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

main.  Girls  do  not  enough  realize  the  great 
responsibility  of  their  influence  over  young 
men." 

"  No,"  said  Agnes  Burchard,  with  a  sigh. 
And  several  remembered  how  much  she  had 
been  seen  with  poor  Harry  and  what  jokes 
had  been  made  about  their  intimacy.  "  I 
always  knew  that  Harry  Pemberton  drank 
occasionally ;  but  I  thought  it  manly,  and 
like  —  like  Mr.  James." 

No  one  answered  this  rather  unfortunate 
remark ;  but  presently  Katie  Robertson 
said  :  — 

"  Don't  you  think,  Miss  Etta,  people  ought 
to  begin  with  the  boys  —  before  they  have 
learned  to  drink,  I  mean." 

"  A  good  suggestion,  Katie,  since  an  ounce 
of  prevention  is  said  to  be  better  than  a  pound 
of  cure.  How  would  you  set  about  doing 
it?" 

But  Katie,  having  thus  drawn  all  eyes  upon 
herself,  blushed,  and  did  not  feel  like  speaking. 
So  Miss  Eunice  came  to  her  rescue  :  — 

"We  might  organize  some  kind  of  a  society, 
of  which  the  boys  and  younger  girls  could  be 


THE  DO   GOOD   SOCIETT. 


273 


members.  It  would  be  some  trouble  to  keep 
it  up,  but  it  would  be  directly  in  the  line  of 
that  service  to  which  you  pledged  yourselves, 
girls,  that  bright  first  Sunday  in  September." 

"  Delightful !  "  said  Etta,  to  whom  every  new 
thing  always  seemed  so.  "A  boys'  and  girls' 
temperance  society,  with  a  pledge  that  they 
shall  never  in  their  lives  taste  anything  that 
can  intoxicate.  Then  they  will  grow  up  temper 
ance  boys  and  girls  from  the  start." 

"There  are  two  objections  to  pledging 
children  —  that  is,  very  young  ones,"  said 
Eunice.  "The  first  is,  from  the  unwillingness 
often  felt  by  their  parents ;  and  the  other, 
that  many  of  them  do  not  fully  understand 
what  they  are  about,  and  as  they  grow  older 
often  break  their  pledge,  on  the  ground  that 
they  are  not  bound  by  a  promise  made  when 
they  were  too  young  to  understand  it." 

"  Well,  some  of  them  keep  it,  and  that 's  so 
much  gained." 

,  "Yes,  for  them.  But  to  break  solemnly 
made  vows  is  always  an  injury  to  one's  char 
acter.  Besides,  if  we  make  a  total-abstinence 
pledge  the  condition  of  joining  our  society, 


274  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

we  shall  not  get  the  Irish  boys,  who  most 
need  our  work.  Their  parents  will  not  let  them 
come.  Why  not  word  our  pledge  in  such  a 
way  as  to  secure  everybody's  influence  on  the 
side  of  temperance,  without  making  it  a  per 
sonal  thing  ?  It  will  be  sure  to  react  upon  the 
individual." 

"  I  think  there  are  some  things  that  boys  do 
besides  drinking  that  are  just  as  bad  —  smoking 
and  swearing,  for  instance,"  said  one  of  the 
girls. 

"And  I  think  it's  just  as  bad  for  girls  to 
be  hateful  and  unkind,"  said  Bertie,  to  the  sur 
prise  of  some  who  knew  her,  but  did  not  know 
what  a  brave  fight  she  was  making  to  overcome 
her  long-indulged  faults. 

"Let's  make  it  a  pledge  to  be  kind  and 
thoughtful,"  said  one  of  the  girls. 

(t  Not  to  be  vain,"  said  another. 

"  And  let 's  all  belong,"  said  a  third.  "  So 
the  boys  won't  think  we're  just  preaching  to 
them." 

So  the  result  of  all  the  talk  was  that  a  meet 
ing  for  all  the  children  in  the  place  was  held  the 
first  bright  Saturday  afternoon,  Etta  presiding, 


THE  DO    GOOD   SOCIETY.  275 

assisted  by  such  of  her  girls  as  had  finished 
their  day's  work  at  the  mill.  It  happened  to 
be  a  bright  afternoon,  warm  for  the  season, 
and  no  one  felt  any  inconvenience  in  staying 
out  of  doors,  where  they  sat  in  groups  around 
the  lawn,  while  their  young  hostess  explained 
the  purpose  for  which  she  had  called  them 
together. 

"We  know  you  all  want  to  be  good  men 
and  women,"  she  said;  "brave,  noble,  and  help 
ful.  Our  idea  is  not  primarily  to  amuse  you  or 
make  you  happy,  but  to  help  you  to  learn  to 
be  helpful  and  useful  to  others.  We  want  to 
form  among  ourselves  a  society,  whose  object 
is  to  do  all  the  good  that  its  members  possibly 
can  — 'not  trying  to  have  a  good  time,  but  to 
make  somebody  else  happier  and  better  every 
day.  Who  wants  to  join  us?' 

Instantly  every  hand  in  the  little  group 
went  up. 

"Yes,  I  thought  so,"  said  the  young  lady. 
"But  now  I  wonder  who  are  willing  to  take 
a  good  deal  of  trouble  about  it,  and  really  put 
themselves  out  of  the  way  to  make  other  people 
happy.  Those  who  are  willing  and  mean  to 


2/6  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

persevere  not  getting  tired  and  giving  up  the 
whole  thing  after  a  little  while,  may  have  the 
privilege  of  joining  our  society  by  signing  their 
names  to  our  pledge." 

She  then  read  the  following  pledge  slowly, 
pausing  to  explain  every  word  which  might 
seem  hard  to  be  understood  by  the  younger 
children  :  — 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  pledge  ourselves  to 
be  truthful,  unselfish,  cheerful,  and  helpful ; 
to  use  our  influence  always  for  the  right,  and 
never  to  fear  to  show  our  colors.  We  will 
always  use  our  influence  against  intemperance, 
the  use  of  profane  language  or  tobacco,  dis 
respect  to  the  old,  ill  treatment  of  the  young  or 
unfortunate,  and  cruelty  to  animals/'1 

Nearly  all  present  were  eager  to  sign  it; 
those  who  could  write  their  names  doing  so, 
and  the  others  looking  on  with  great  satisfac 
tion  while  theirs  were  written  by  some 
one  else.  Thus  a  society  was  formed  which, 
for  want  of  a  better  name,  was  called  the  "  Do 
Good  Society." 

Etta  was  unanimously  elected  president ;  four 

1  Condensed  from  the  pledge  of  the  Lookout  Legion. 


THE  DO    GOOD   SOCIETT.  277 

girls  of  her  class  were  the  officers.  Meetings 
were  to  be  held  the  first  Saturday  in  every 
month  in  the  Sunday-school  room,  on  which 
occasions  those  present  were  to  report  attempts 
at  carrying  out  the  principles  of  the  society  as 
well  as  all  successes  in  doing  so. 

To  this  society  and  its  welfare  Etta  Mount- 
joy  devoted  herself,  throwing  into  its  concerns 
the  whole  activity  of  her  versatile  nature ; 
making  its  meetings  so  interesting,  and  im 
parting  to  it  so  much  bright  life  and  activity, 
that  it  soon  became  the  most  popular  institution 
in  Squantown. 

The  society's  first  meeting  was  held  one  week 
after  its  organization.  It  was  raining  softly, 
and  the  grass  was  damp  and  the  air  chilly  ;  so 
the  children,  nearly  a  hundred  of  whom  were 
present,  were  glad  to  come  into  the  shelter  of 
the  pretty  Sunday-school  room,  and  while 
swelling  with  the  importance  of  being  "  a 
society,"  wait  to  see  what  "Miss  Etta"  would 
do  when  she  came.  The  girls  were  getting  a 
little  restless,  and  the  boys  had  begun  to  drum 
rather  impatiently  upon  the  floor,  when  the 
young  lady  appeared,  carrying  in  her  hand  a 


278  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 

curious-looking  box  with  a  slit  in  the  top  and 
a  basket  mysteriously  covered  down,  which  she 
deposited  on  the  desk,  not  as  yet  answering 
the  questions  which  were  spoken  by  the  many 
pairs  of  bright  eyes  before  her. 

The  first  thing  the  president  did  was  to  tell 
the  children  that  they  might  sing  "  Hold  the 
Fort,"  which  they  did  with  such  extraordinary 
force  and  enthusiasm  that  they  exhausted  the 
excitement  which  was  seething  within  them, 
and  sat  quite  still  while  the  basket  was 
unpacked  and  Etta  took  from  it  a  bottle  of 
whitish-looking  fluid,  a  clear  glass  goblet,  and 
a  pure  white  egg.  Then  she  gave  them  a 
little  temperance  talk,  reminding  them  of  the 
sad  death  of  poor  Harry,  which  was  known  to 
them  all,  and  telling  them  that  even  when 
people  did  not  drink  enough  liquor  to  make 
them  either  stupid  or  quarrelsome,  any  quantity 
of  it  taken  into  the  stomach  injures  it  very 
much. 

To  make  them  understand  this  she  broke 
the  egg-shell  and  dropped  the  white  of  the  egg 
into  the  goblet,  holding  it  up  and  showing  them 
how  soft  and  clear  it  was.  Then,  uncorking 


THE  DO    GOOD    SOCIETT.  279 

the  bottle,  she  told  them  it  contained  alcohol, 
the  substance  that  is  found  in  all  intoxicating 
drinks,  even  the  weaker  ones,  such  as  wine  and 
beer. 

"  Now,  watch,"  she  said ;  and  as  she  poured 
two  or  three  drops  of  the  liquid  into  the  glass 
the  interested  eyes  saw  the  egg  grow  white 
and  hard,  and  at  last  become  tough  and  leathery. 
"This,"  she  said,  "is  just  what  happens  when 
people  drink  anything  that  contains  alcohol. 
The  brain  is  a  substance  like  the  white  of  an 
egg.  The  alcohol  acts  upon  it  in  the  same  way 
it  has  acted  upon  the  white  of  this  egg  —  it 
cooks  it !  The  brain  of  a  drunkard  becomes 
cooked — tough  and  leathery.  The  man  cannot 
think  as  clearly  as  other  men.  His  mind 
becomes  degraded."  The  children  all  expressed 
their  astonishment,  and  after  they  had  talked 
a  little  while,  their  teacher  said :  — 

"I  am  sure  you  don't  want  people  to  injure 
their  brains  in  this  way,  and  so  you  will  be 
ready  to  keep  that  part  of  your  pledge  which 
says  we  will  '  use  our  influence  against  intem 
perance/  of  course." 

"  Yes,  yes !  "  was  shouted  out  by  dozens  of 


280  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 

voices,  and  many  hands  went  up.  One  boy 
said  :  — 

"  How  about  tobacco  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we  '11  talk  about  that  next  time.  Now 
I  want  you  to  sing  again,  and  then  we  will 
investigate  the  contents  of  this  box,"  proceed 
ing  to  unlock  it  as  she  spoke. 

When  the  second  hymn  was  over  Miss  Etta 
drew  out  several  folded  papers,  and  handing 
them  to  the  secretary,  who  had  come  in  since 
the  beginning,  asked  her  to  read  them  aloud. 

"  Remember,  children,  that  neither  you  nor 
I  know  who  wrote  them.  They  have  no  signa 
tures.  Perhaps  some  of  the  children  wrote  them 
themselves,  perhaps  they  got  their  parents  to 
do  so.  All  we  want  to  know  is  that  they  are 
accounts  of  how  some  of  our  members  have 
tried  to  be  unselfish  and  helpful  to  other 
people  during  the  week  that  has  past.  I  hope 
every  meeting  we  shall  have  a  number  of  such 
papers  to  read.  You  can  any  of  you  write 
them,  and  slip  them  into  this  box,  and  our 
secretary  will  read  them  to  us.  But  be  sure 
that  you  don't  put  any  names  to  them  and 
that  what  you  write  is  true." 


THE  DO    GOOD   SOCIETY.  251 

PAPER    I. 

Last  Friday  I  was  going  home  from  school 
when  I  saw  two  big  boys  hit  against  an  old 
woman,  who  was  carrying  along  a  heavy  basket. 
I  don't  know  whether  they  did  it  on  purpose, 
but  they  both  began  to  laugh  as  the  basket 
upset,  and  the  apples  which  were  in  it  rolled  all 
over  the  road.  I  was  just  going  to  laugh  too, 
the  old  woman  looked  so  funny  and  helpless, 
but  I  thought  of  our  society,  and  I  stooped 
down  and  picked  up  all  the  apples  and  helped 
carry  home  the  basket.  The  other  boys 
laughed  at  me  and  called  me  a  baby.  I  wanted 
to  swear  at  them  dreadfully,  but  I  remembered 
what  our  pledge  said  about  "  profane  swearing," 
and  I  just  held  my  tongue. 

PAPER    II. 

Mother  wanted  me  to  take  care  of  the  baby 
while  she  got  supper  the  other  afternoon,  but  I 
wanted  to  go  in  the  woods  with  Allie  and  get 
nuts.  I  'd  promised  her  ever  so  long,  and  this 
was  the  last  chance,  it 's  so  near  winter.  I  was 
just  going  to  say  "No"  to  mother,  and  tell  her 
babies  were  a  nuisance,  when  I  noticed  how 
tired  she  looked,  and  thought  how  she  was 
always  doing  things  for  all  of  us.  Then  I 


282  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 

remembered  our  pledge,  and  I  took  the  baby 
and  tried  to  be  "cheerful  and  helpful  "  in 
amusing  her,  setting  the  table  between  whiles. 
And  in  the  evening,  mother  said  she  did  not 
know  how  she  could  have  got  along  without 
me,  she  had  such  a  headache  all  the  afternoon, 
but  now  she  felt  quite  rested. 

PAPER    III. 

Five  of  us  girls  are  going  to  form  a  bee.  We 
have  n't  much  time,  but  we  can  take  one  even 
ing  each  week,  and  we  're  going  to  make 
skating-bags  for  our  brothers  and  some  of  the 
other  boys,  so  that  they  can  keep  their  skates 
clean  and  bright.  We  mean  to  hurry,  so  as  to 
get  them  ready  by  the  first  frosty  weather. 

« 
There  were  several   other  papers,  but   these 

specimens  are  enough  to  show  the  kind  of  work 
the  Do  Good  Society  was  engaged  in,  and  the 
nature  of  the  reports  brought  in  from  time  to 
time.  They  were  sometimes  very  funny,  and 
Miss  Etta  felt  a  little  inclined  to  laugh  as  they 
were  read,  but  little  by  little  they  were  edu 
cating  the  children  to  be  unselfish  and  helpful, 
and  that,  next  to  being  godly,  is  the  best  thing 
in  the  world. 


THANKSGIVING   DAT.  283 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

THANKSGIVING    DAY. 

[HE  long  -  anticipated  Harvest  Home 
Festival  arrived  at  last.  All  Wednes 
day  evening,  and  far  into  the  night, 
the  boys  were  busy,  under  Etta's  directions, 
in  putting  up  the  carefully  prepared  colored 
leaf  emblems,  and  arranging  the  grasses,  fruits, 
and  vegetables.  Over  every  pointed  window 
was  a  garland  of  variously  colored  grasses, 
mixed  with  bearded  golden  grain,  and  between 
each,  one  of  the  leaf  emblems  was  lightly 
tacked  to  the  wall.  From  each  gas-burner  de 
pended  a  rustic  basket,  made  of  twisted  sticks 
dipped  in  a  cheap  solution  of  gilt  powder,  and 
filled  with  purple  and  white  grapes,  mixed  with 
scarlet  and  golden  apples.  Bouquets  of  ferns 
and  grasses  graced  pulpit  and  baptismal  font. 
Against  either  end  of  the  communion-table 
leaned  a  wonderfully  constructed  cornucopia, 
from  whose  capacious  mouth  seemed  to  be  pour 
ing  out  green  squashes,  yellow  pumpkins,  red 


284  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

and  white  beets,  brown  potatoes,  cabbages, 
cauliflowers,  parsnips,  and  golden  ears  of  corn, 
packed  in  with  cereals  and  nuts.  On  the 
table  itself  was  a  mighty  pile  of  all  the  fruits 
attainable  so  late  in  the  season,  and  the  deco 
rations  were  completed  by  a  cross  nearly  six 
feet  in  height,  composed  entirely  of  white 
everlasting  flowers,  placed  in  the  window  just 
above. 

It  was  great  fun  to  arrange  all  these  pretty 
things,  and  the  fun  might  have  degenerated 
into  irreverence,  but  for  the  presence  of  Mr. 
Morven,  who  occasionally  said  a  few  words 
concerning  the  sacredness  of  the  place,  and 
managed  to  give  the  whole  affair  the  appear 
ance  of  a  happy  service  of  the  Lord  and  his 
church,  so  that  each  boy  and  girl  went  away 
with  a  share  of  the  gladness  of  those  who 
work  for  God. 

The  Thanksgiving  congregation  was  an  un 
usually  large  one.  The  mills  were  closed,  of 
course,  and  many  of  the  work-people  who, 
perhaps,  would  have  hesitated  at  the  idea  of 
spending  their  rare  holiday  time  in  a  church, 
thought  better  of  it  when  they  remembered 


THANKSGIVING  DAT.  285 

that  doing  so  would  certainly  please  their  em 
ployer.  Not  a  very  worthy  motive,  certainly. 
But  there  are  many  motives  which  draw  people 
to  the  house  of  God,  not  all  of  which  will  bear 
close  inspection.  None  the  less,  however,  are 
they  thus  brought  under  hallowed  influences, 
and  it  may  be  that  germinating  seed  will  be 
thus  sown  in  their  hearts,  which  the  wayside 
birds  will  not  quite  carry  away. 

The  Methodists,  who  usually  held  Sunday 
services  at  the  school-house,  three  miles  off, 
held  none  on  Thanksgiving  day,  and  were  glad 
of  a  good  opportunity  to  see  and  attend  the 
pretty  new  stone  church  on  the  hill.  Many  of 
the  neighboring  families  in  the  country  round 
had  city  visitors  come  to  "  spend  Thanksgiving." 
And  more  than  all,  the  fame  of  the  harvest 
decorations  had  spread  far  and  wide,  so  that 
curiosity  helped  to  fill  the  church  to  overflow 
ing.  Mr.  Morven  was  glad  of  the  opportunity 
to  show  how  religion  claims  a  place  even  in 
our  festivities  and  helps  to  brighten  all  our 
joys.  He  was  especially  desirous  that  the 
children  and  young  people  should  never  look 
upon  Christ's  service  as  a  thing  of  gloom.  He 


286  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

dwelt  upon  Thanksgiving  day  as  an  essentially 
national  festival,  reminding  his  audience  how 
it  had  originated  when  the  Pilgrim  fathers  met 
at  the  close  of  the  first  year  of  their  hard  life 
among  New  England  rocks  to  thank  the  God, 
in  whose  name  and  by  whose  power  they  had 
laid  the  foundations  of  the  new  commonwealth 
on  this  side  of  the  sea.  Then  he  told  how  the 
observance  had  gradually  spread  from  State  to 
State  ;  at  first  being  appointed  by  the  State 
Governor,  on  such  day  as  seemed  to  him  fittest. 
Till  at  last,  the  wise  and  lamented  President 
Lincoln  sent  out  a  Thanksgiving  proclamation, 
and  appointed  a  uniform  day  for  the  whole, 
great,  reunited  people. 

"  For  what  we  are  to  give  thanks,  in  addition 
to  our  great  public  blessings,"  continued  the 
preacher,  "  each  one  of  us  must  look  into  his 
individual  life  and  surroundings  to  discover. 
These  beautiful  decorations  remind  us  of  our 
indebtedness  as  a  people  for  an  abundant  har 
vest,  not  only  of  the  grains  and  cereals  which 
support  our  lives,  but  also  of  the  delicacies 
which  make  that  life  one  of  rich  enjoyment. 
'But,  my  friends,  this  is  Cain's  sacrifice.  Let  us 


THANKSGIVING   DAT.  287 

beware  lest,  as  in  his  case,  it  take  the  place  of 
Abel's,  and  we  learn  to  care  more  for  the  things 
of  our  perishing  life  than  for  those  eternal 
glories  to  which  the  great  sacrifice  of  which 
Abel's  was  typical  is  our  only  title.  For  myself, 
as  pastor  of  this  church,  I  find  special  occasion 
for  thanksgiving  in  the  large  number  who  have, 
during  the  past  year,  publicly  given  themselves 
to  Christ,  nearly  all  of  whom,  as  I  have  every 
reason  to  hope,  have  set  out  in  earnest  upon 
their  heavenward  pilgrimage.  These  souls  are 
a  seal  to  my  ministry  among  you,  and  for  them 
I  gladly  to-day  render  unto  the  Lord  thanks 
giving.  An  added  cause  of  thanksgiving  to  me 
personally  is  the  able  and  earnest  corps  of 
assistants  who  are  here  holding  up  my  hands. 
Surrounded  by  mill-owners  whose  first  object  is 
not  so  much  money-making  as  the  elevation  of 
the  men,  women,  and  children  in  their  employ ; 
with  Eunices  and  Louises,  who  labor  with  me  for 
the  upbuilding  of  Christ's  kingdom  in  young 
human  hearts,  and  with  a  society  of  little  folks 
whose  purpose  is  to  follow  their  Great  Master 
by  going  about  to  do  good,  I  feel  myself  well 
sustained  in  my  responsible  position ;  and,  as 


288  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

I  look  forward  to  the  cares  and  duties  of 
another  year,  I  '  thank  God  and  take  courage.' 
And  no  doubt,  as  you  look  down  into  your 
own  hearts  and  back  on  the  events  of  the  past 
year,  you  also  see  much  cause  for  thanksgiving. 
Some  of  you  remember  how,  when  you  tossed 
on  beds  of  fever,  God's  presence  rebuked  the 
death-angel  and  you  came  back  to  a  new  and, 
as  we  trust,  a  better  life.  Many  of  you  know 
how,  while  the  pestilence  raged  around  you, 
both  you  and  your  loved  ones  were  safe  from 
his  fiery  breath.  Others  of  you  can  recall  how, 
when  the  swift  punishment  that  sometimes 
visits  those  who  do  not  like  to  retain  God  in 
their  knowledge  and  seek  their  own  pleasure 
rather  than  his  service  came  among  us,  it  was 
not  your  boy,  your  brother,  your  dear  one  who 
met  with  a  fearful  and  sudden  death.  Even 
such  of  you  as  have  been  called  to  suffer  during 
the  year  that  is  gone  by,  to  resist  temptation, 
to  conquer  sin,  to  mourn  over  loved  ones,  or  to 
meet  poverty  and  distress,  know  that,  having 
received  help  of  the  Lord,  you  continue  unto 
this  day.  His  strength  has  assured  the  hard- 
won  victory,  his  presence  has  lightened  the 


THANKSGIVING  DAT.  289 

gloom,  his  hand  wiped  away  the  tear,  his 
bounty  fed  the  hungry.  In  all  things  he  has 
more  than  kept  his  promises,  and  I  call  upon 
you  this  day  to 

"'Render  unto  the  Lord  thanksgiving.*" 

The  afternoon  was  devoted  to  the  Harvest 
Home  Festival,  and  a  very  pretty  and  successful 
service  it  was. 

Long  before  three  o'clock  the  main  body  of 
the  church  was  filled  with  parents,  friends,  and 
anxious  spectators,  many  of  whom  had  never 
been  inside  of  a  church  before.  The  front 
seats  had  been  reserved  for  the  Sunday-school, 
whose  members  marched  in  singing  as  a  pro 
cessional  :  — 

"  Come,  ye  thankful  people,  come, 
Raise  the  song  of  Harvest  Home," 

at  the  close  of  which  the  whole  congregation 
rose  and  sang  :  — 

"  Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow." 

A  brief  opening  service  followed,  the  infant 
class  chanting  the  Lord's  prayer,  the  verses  of 


KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

Psalm   Ixv  being  read  alternately  by  boys  and 
girls,  after  which  Psalm  cxxi  — 

"I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  hills"  — 

was  sung  by  the  whole  school. 

The   infant    class   then    came   forward,    and 
standing  in  a   group   before   the   desk   recited 
each  a  text,  which  the  superintendent  called  :  — 
"  AUTUMN  LEAVES  FROM  THE  TREE  OF  LIFE." 

The  verses  were  selected  with  great  taste 
and  care,  and  the  little  ones  did  their  part  well. 
The  following  are  some  of  those  selected  :  — 

Exodus  xxvi,  16. 

Leviticus  xxii,  10. 

Psalms  1,  19  ;  cxlv,  14 ;  cxxxvi,  i,  25. 

Isaiah  Iv,  10. 

i  Corinthians  x,  26. 

Hebrews  xiii,  2. 

Revelations  xix,  5. 

The  very  little  folks  here  closed  their  part  of 
the  performance  with  a  "  Harvest  Song,"  in 
which  they  had  been  well  drilled. 

Then  the  older  classes  arose  and  recited 
selected  portions  of  Scripture  in  unison,  class 
by  class. 


THANKSGIVING  DAT.  29! 

Eunice  Mount  joy's  class  gave  "  The  harvest 
feast."  Deut.  xvi,  13-15. 

Etta  Mountjoy's  class :  "  The  harvest  fruits 
are  the  gift  of  God."  Psalms  cxv,  10-15. 

James  Mountjoy's  boys:  "Trust  in  the  giver 
of  the  harvest."  Luke  xii,  22-28. 

Another  boys'  class:  "The  harvest  of  the 
world."  Rev.  xiv,  13-17. 

Still  another:  "The  harvest  of  the  tares/' 
Matthew  xiii,  37-43. 

And  then  the  whole  school  sang  :  — 

"What  shall  the  harvest  be?" 

Then  the  recitations  commenced  again. 

First  class  :  "  Men  compared  to  fruit-trees." 
Matt,  vii,  16-20. 

Second  class :  "  Different  kinds  of  fruit." 
Gal.  vi,  i-io. 

Third  class  :  "  The  curse  of  unfruitfulness." 
Matt,  xxi,  18-20. 

Fourth  class  :  "  Danger  of  setting  the  heart 
upon  earthly  fruits."  Luke  xii,  15-21. 

Fifth  class  :  "  Necessity  of  labor  in  harvest 
ing."  Prov.  x,  3-5. 

Sixth  class :  "  Now,  the  harvest  time." 
John  iv,  35-38, 


292  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

Whole  school  in  unison  :  Psalm  cl,  entire. 
The  festival  was  closed  by  the  singing  of  the 
hymn :  — 

•*  Praise  to  God,  immortal  praise, 
For  the  love  that  crowns  our  days," 

as  the  children   marched   back  to   the   school 


room. 


The  whole  performance  was  considered  a 
great  success.  The  superintendent  and  his 
young  assistants  received  many  congratula 
tions,  and  the  parents  carried  their  little  ones 
home  well  satisfied  with  their  share  in  the 
exercises. 

1  The  above  programme  was  actually  carried  out  in  a  country  school  of 
the  writer's  acquaintance,  and  is  given  in  full  for  the  benefit  of  others  who 
may  be  inclined  to  try  a  similar  festival.  It  may  be  varied  and  prolonged 
by  the  introduction  of  poetical  passages  concerning  autumn,  etc. 


SERVICE.  293 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

SERVICE. 

|HE  first  meeting  of  the  "Do  Good 
Society'  had  proved  so  successful 
that  another  was  appointed  for  next 
week,  at  the  request  of  the  little  members. 
Mr.  Morven  came  in  and  opened  the  meet 
ing  with  a  prayer*  this  time,  after  which 
he  retired  while  the  children  were  singing 
their  first  hymn.  Then  the  president  read 
and  explained  the  pledge  again,  and  asked  all 
who  had  not  clone  so  already  to  sign  it,  after 
which  she  again  produced  the  box  with  a  slit  in 
the  cover,  into  which  she  asked  every  one  to 
drop  the  papers  on  which  they  had  written 
whatever  they  would  like  to  have  read  to  the 
society. 

There  was  a  little  tittering,  a  little  rustling, 
some  blushing,  and  considerable  hesitation, 
after  which  a  good  many  of  the  girls  and  some 
of  the  boys  came  up  in  a  confused  mass,  and 
dropped  some  folded  papers  into  the  box. 


294  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

"  Now,"  said  Miss  Etta,  when  all  was  quiet 
again,  "  I  call  upon  the  secretary  to  read  what 
is  on  these  papers  without  the  names,  —  for 
that  is  the  Bible  way  of  not  letting  our  right 
hand  know  what  the  left  does,  —  and  if  any  of 
our  little  members,  who  don't  know  how  to 
write,  have  anything  to  report  to  the  society, 
they  may  get  some  of  the  bigger  ones  to  write 
it  down  for  them.  Here  are  some  slips  of 
paper  and  pencils  I  have  provided  on  purpose." 

Then  there  was  another  pause  and  some  more 
rustling,  whispering,  and  laughing,  and  some 
more  curiously  written  and  folded  papers  were 
dropped  into  the  box. 

These  are  what  the  secretary  read  :  — 
i. 

I  was  coming  home  from  school  one  day 
when  I  saw  old  Mr.  Kelly  trying  to  push  his 
wheelbarrow  of  potatoes  up  the  hill.  He  looked 
so  weak  that  I  thought  I  would  help  him,  so  I 
called  Jim  Byers,  and  we  took  hold  of  the 
wheelbarrow  and  wheeled  it  all  the  way  to  his 
door,  where  we  emptied  the  potatoes  into  a 
barrel  and  put  them  away  in  the  cellar.  It  was 
great  fun ! 


SERVICE.  295 

"  No  doubt,  it  was/*  said  Miss  Etta. 

n. 

Kittie  always  calls  me  names  when  she 
gets  mad,  and  I  always  used  to  think  of  the 
worst  I  knew  to  call  her  in  return ;  but  I 
thought  I  would  n't  since  I  belong  to  the  Do 
Good  Society.  So  the  next  time  she  got  mad, 
and  began  to  call  names,  I  said  :  "  Don't,  Kittie, 
dear,  let 's  love  each  other.  Here  's  a  beautiful 
piece  of  lace  to  make  a  fichu  for  your  doll!" 
She  has  n't  called  me  names  since. 

"  Of  course  not ;  who  could  ? "  was  the  com 
ment. 

in. 

I  met  four  boys  with  cigarettes  in  their 
mouths  one  day.  They  all  took  off  their  hats 
to  me,  but  I  looked  the  other  way,  as  if  I  did 

not  see  them.     "  Hallo,"  said  one  of  them,  " 

is  getting  stuck  up."  "No,  I  ain't  stuck  up; 
but  I've  promised  not  to  encourage  the  use  of 
tobacco."  The  boys  all  laughed  at  me,  but 
they  threw  away  the  cigarettes,  for  all  that. 

"  Who  would  n't  be  laughed  at  to  accomplish 
such  results  ? " 


296  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

IV. 

My  sister  will  tag  onto  me,  wherever  I  go. 
She  wanted  to  go  nutting  with  me  and  some 
other  fellows.  I  was  just  going  to  tell  her  we 
did  n't  want  babies,  when  I  remembered  the 
pledge,  so  I  took  her  along.  She  picked  up 
as  many  nuts  as  any  of  us.  And  she  did  n't  cry 
a  bit,  even  when  she  fell  down  and  scratched 
her  hand  dreadfully.  I  sha'n't  call  her  cry-baby 
any  more. 

v. 

I  work  on  a  farm.  The  man  I  work  for 
gives  us  beer  sometimes.  Last  Saturday  night 
he  offered  me  some.  I  would  n't  take  it. 
"Why?"  said  he.  "  Because  I  have  promised 
to  use  my  influence  against  the  use  of  liquor. 
I  can't  drink  it." 

VI. 

Four  of  us  boys  have  given  up  swearing. 
It's  hard  work,  though,  sometimes  —  we're  so 
used  to  it. 

"  Yes,  it 's  hard  work  to  give  up  any  bad  habit," 
said  Etta.  "But  God  will  help  us  if  we  ask  him, 
and  the  sooner  we  begin,  the  easier  it  will  be." 


SERVICE.  297 

VII. 

I  wanted  to  buy,  oh,  such  a  lovely  book ! 
But  I  spent  the  money  for  crackers,  and  took 
them  down  to  the  poor  little  Ryans,  whose 
mother  is  dead.  I  enjoyed  seeing  them  eat 
them  a  great  deal  more  than  I  should  have 
enjoyed  the  book. 

VIII. 

I  wanted  to  stay  in  bed  awfully  one  morn 
ing.  I  do  hate  to  get  up  !  But  I  thought  about 
poor  old  Mrs.  Payne,  and  how  cold  she  would 
find  it  to  get  up  and  make  her  fire  in  the  dark, 
so  I  jumped  right  out  of  bed,  ran  down  to  her 
cottage,  made  the  fire,  and  set  the  tea-kettle 
over,  and  got  back  in  time  for  breakfast,  after 
all. 

IX. 

I  finished  my  work  in  the  mill  real  early 
on  Wednesday,  because  I  wanted  to  be  first 
at  Miss  Eunice's.  But  Jennie  Ray  is  so  slow 
that  she  never  gets  through  hers  till  the 
last  minute,  so  I  turned  to  and  helped  her, 
and  we  both  got  away  at  half-past  five.  I 
did  n't  get  to  Miss  Eunice's  as  early  as  usual, 
but  Jennie  did,  a  great  deal  earlier;  so  I  did  n't 
care. 


298  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

The  following  were  from  the  little  children  :  — 

"  I  helped  mother  wash  the  dishes." 

"I  set  the  table." 

"1  took  care  of  the  baby." 

"  I  picked  up  apples." 

"  I  made  the  fire,"  etc.  etc. 

"  These  are  all  very  little  things,"  said  the  presi 
dent,  as  she  detected  a  smile  upon  the  faces  of 
some  of  the  older  girls  and  boys  "  But  if  they 
are  done  really  for  the  sake  of  '  doing  good,'  and 
pleasing  God,  they  are  just  as  great  to  him  as 
the  'cup  of  cold  water,'  which  he  says  'shall 
not  lose  its  reward.' ' 

"  Here  are  some  questions  which  were  asked 
me  last  week  after  the  meeting,"  said  Etta,  as 
she  finished  reading  the  papers.  I  wonder  if 
the  girls  to  whom  I  gave  them  have  found 
answers. 

i.  "  Why  is  it  wrong  to  drink  beer  ?  " 

Several  hands  were  raised  and  several  answers 
given  ;  such  as :  — 

"  Because  it  makes  people  drunk." 

"Because  it  killed  Harry." 

Eric  Robertson  produced  the  following  slip, 


SERVICE.  299 

which   he  had   cut  from  a   paper,  and   read   it 
aloud :  — 

"Beer  is  regarded  by  many  in  this  country  as 
a  healthy  beverage.  Let  me  give  you  a  few  of 
the  ingredients  frequently  used  in  its  manufac 
ture.  The  adulterations  most  commonly  used 
to  give  bitterness  are  gentian,  wormwood,  and 
quassia ;  to  impart  pungency,  ginger,  orange- 
peel,  and  caraway  If  these  were  all,  there 
would  be  small  need  of  warning  the  young 
against  the  use  of  beer  on  account  of  its  in 
jurious  ingredients,  but  when  there  are  added, 
to  preserve  the  frothy  head,  alum  and  blue 
vitriol ;  to  intoxicate,  cocculus  indicus,  nux 
vomica,  and  tobacco ;  and  to  promote  thirst, 
salt,  —  then  indeed  does  it  become  necessary  to 
instruct  and  warn  the  innocent  against  the  use 
of  this  poisonous  beverage." 

2.   "  Are  cigarettes  good  for  boys  ?  " 
No  one  answered,  and  Etta  said  :  — 
"Boys  think  it  manly  to  smoke,  but  it  isn't. 
It 's  very  dirty  and  very  unhealthy.     I  heard  of 
a  little  boy  only  twelve  years  old,  who  died  very 


300  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

suddenly,  and  when  the  doctors  examined  him 
after  his  death  they  found  the  coats  of  his 
stomach  all  eaten  up  with  tobacco,  and  yet  he 
had  only  smoked  cigarettes.  Cigarettes  are 
made  of  a  little  tobacco,  a  great  deal  of  cabbage- 
leaves,  old  leather,  and  dirty  paper,  with  snuff 
and  ginger  and  strychnine,  a  deadly  poison,  to 
flavor  them.  The  oil  of  tobacco  itself  is  rank 
poison.  Two  or  three  drops  of  it  put  on  the 
tongue  of  a  dog  or  a  cat  will  kill  it  in  a  few 
minutes.  Besides,  the  smell  of  tobacco  linger 
ing  in  a  boy's  clothes  or  breath  is  very  foul 
and  disgusting.  And  worse  than  all,  the  effect 
of  smoking  is  to  create  a  thirst  which  pure, 
cool  water  does  not  satisfy,  and  those  who 
begin  by  smoking  or  chewing  tobacco  are  very 
likely  to  end  by  drinking  beer  and  whiskey,  and 
finally  becoming  drunkards." 

Then  questions  to  be  answered  at  the  next 
meeting  were  called  for,  and  the  following  were 
given  :  — 

1.  Is  it  wrong  to  wear  pretty  clothes  ? 

2.  Why  should  n't  people  be  selfish  ? 

3.  Is  it  swearing  to  say  "  good  gracious  !  "  and 
"  mercy  on  us  !  "  ? 


SERVICE.  301 

Miss  Etta  did  not  answer  these,  but  wrote 
them  down  in  her  note-book,  saying  she  would 
look  up  the  subjects  by  the  next  meeting,  and 
she  wanted  the  members  of  the  "  Do  Good 
Society "  all  to  do  the  same,  and  then  they 
could  compare  their  answers. 

The  last  part  of  the  programme  to-day  was 
the  reading  of  a  story  by  the  president.  She 
half-read  and  half-told  about  a  young  man 
named  Harry  Wadsworth,  who,  although  he 
was  only  a  clerk  in  a  railroad  company,  man 
aged,  by  giving  all  his  spare  time  and  thought, 
to  do  so  many  kind  things  for  other  people, 
that  when  he  died  they  all  set  about  to  honor 
his  memory  by  each  doing  kind  things  for 
others,  and  others  again  followed  their  example, 
till  thousands  of  people  were  all  busy  in  hun 
dreds  of  different  places,  doing  just  as  much  as 
they  could  to  help  other  people  and  to  dis 
countenance  everything  evil,  and  to  throw  their 
influence  on  the  side  of  everything  good. 

Harry  Wadsworth  had  four  mottoes,  which 
they  all  adopted.  They  were  :  — 

*'  Look  out  and  not  in. 

"  Look  forward  and  not  back. 


3O2  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

"  Look  up  and  not  down. 
"  Lend  a  hand." 

Miss  Etta  also  told  them  that  all  sorts  of 
clubs  and  societies,  chiefly  composed  of 
children,  had  grown  out  of  this  story,  and 
that  they  were  called  by  different  names  ;  such 
as,  "Wadsworth  Clubs,"  "Lend  a  Hand  So 
cieties,"  "Look  Out  Guards,"  and  "Look  Up 
Legions." 

One  of  these  Wadsworth  clubs,  a  class  of 
great,  rough,  overgrown  boys  in  a  New  York 
mission  school,  had  supported  a  sick  companion 
for  a  whole  winter  out  of  the  savings  of  their 
own  scanty  earnings.  Another,  a  group  of  rich 
Boston  girls,  kept  three  or  four  families  of  poor 
children  constantly  dressed  in  the  clothes 
which  they  made  themselves.  A  third  had 
originated  the  idea  of  sea-side  homes  for  sick 
city  children. 

"  Our  Do  Good  Society  is  to  be  like  one  of 
these,"  she  said ;  "  only  we  must  have  for  our 
motive  something  higher  than  just  kindness  to 
other  people.  We  must  do  good  for  Jesus' 
sake ;  because  he  does  good  to  us  and  because 
we  want  to  please  him  by  doing  good  to  his 


SERVICE.  303 

other  children.  And,  boys  and  girls,  we  sha'n't 
be  doing  it  the  right  way  at  all,  if  we  are  the 
least  bit  proud  of  what  we  do  and  take  any 
glory  to  ourselves  about  it.  We  can  not  even 
think  any  good  thing  without  the  aid  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  ;  certainly  we  can  not  perform  any 
righteous  action.  So  we  must  always  remem 
ber  to  ask  for  his  presence,  his  direction,  and 
his  strength,  and  in  this,  as  in  all  our  other 
ways,  acknowledge  him." 

The  Do  Good  Society  set  in  motion  a  good 
many  other  things ;  for  the  younger  members, 
who  had  more  time  at  their  disposal,  began 
to  conceive  a  passion  for  performing  helpful 
acts,  and  they  ferreted  out  cases  of  distress 
which  were  often  far  beyond  their  power 
to  relieve,  but  which  thus  got  into  the  right 
hands. 

For  instance,  when  the  children  reported  the 
case  of  the  poverty-stricken  Ryans,  Miss  Eunice 
set  her  "tea-party"  to  work  to  make  a  set  of 
clothes  for  the  unexpected  twin-baby,  for  whom 
there  was  no  provision,  and  sent  a  strong  poor 
woman,  whom  her  father  paid,  to  take  care  of 
the  helpless  little  ones  till  some  better  and 


304  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 

more  permanent  arrangement  could  be  made. 
When  the  boys  found  Harry  Pemberton's 
mother  without  "oven  wood,"  which  the  strong 
arms  of  her  unfortunate  boy  used  to  prepare, 
they  set  about  to  gather  and  cut  up  enough 
to  last  her  all  winter;  and  in  doing  so  made 
the  further  discovery  that  she  had  neither  tea, 
sugar,  nor  flour  in  the  house.  This  they 
reported  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  society, 
and  the  result  was  that  abundance  of  provisions 
of  all  kinds  found  their  way  into  the  poor 
old  widow's  dwelling,  and  she  was  well  cared 
for  the  short  remainder  of  her  sad  life. 
Even  Bertie  Sanderson  caught  the  infectious 
enthusiasm,  and  devoted  the  money  sent  by 
her  city  aunt  to  get  her  a  velvet  hat  and 
feathers,  just  like  her  cousins,  to  procuring  a 
warm  woolen  dress  and  hood  for  a  little  girl 
in  the  neighborhood,  who  could  not  go  to 
school  without  it.  She  wore  her  old  felt 
all  winter  with  content  that  would  have  been 
impossible  a  year  ago. 

Many  opportunities  of  doing  good  offered 
themselves  as  the  winter  came  on  and  sped 
away.  There  was  what  is  called  a  crisis  in 
the  paper  trade.  A  great  deal  more  had 


SERVICE.  305 

been  manufactured  than  could  possibly  be 
used,  and  no  new  orders  were  coming  in. 
All  that  Mr.  Mount  joy  could  do  was  to  go  on 
making  paper  in  the  hopes  of  selling  it  in 
better  times.  But  as  no  money  was  coming 
in,  it  was  hard  to  find  enough  with  which  to 
pay  so  many  work-people.  Many  mill-owners 
closed  their  factories  at  once,  thus  throwing 
hundreds  of  workmen  who  had  families  depend 
ent  upon  them  out  of  employment.  Mr. 
Mount  joy  was  advised  to  do  this,  but  he 
could  not  bear  to  be  the  cause  of  so  much 
suffering,  and  his  son  would  not  hear  of  it. 

As  the  only  other  thing  that  was  possible, 
he  called  them  all  together  one  day  at  the 
close  of  the  day's  work,  and  explained  the 
situation  to  them,  asking  them  if  they  would 
rather  accept  a  much  lower  rate  of  wages, 
or  have  the  mill  close  altogether  and  go  else 
where  in  search  of  work. 

There  were  some  blank  looks  as  men  and 
women  thought  how  hard  it  had  been  to  live 
at  even  the  present  rate  of  wages,  but  when 
the  young  man  showed  them  that  even  his 
proposal  was  only  possible  at  a  great  sacrifice 
to  himself  and  the  family,  there  was  not  a 


306  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

murmur.  Everybody  accepted  what  must  be, 
and  though  as  the  winter  went  on  there  was 
much  poverty  and  privation,  there  was  no 
bad  feeling,  no  signs  of  that  terrible  desolation, 
so  dreaded  at  such  times  —  a  strike. 

The  Mountjoys  dismissed  all  their  servants 
but  one,  the  three  daughters  cheerfully  doing 
each  a  share  of  the  housework,  and  assisting 
in  the  preparation  of  broths,  gruels,  and  other 
things  needed  for  the  sick  and  poor,  who  greatly 
missed  the  higher  wages  which  their  natural 
protectors  had  been  earning.  Neither  girl 
bought  a  new  article  of  wearing  apparel,  and 
Etta  decidedly  declined  to  make  her  usual 
winter  visit  to  the  city,  saving  thus  a  consider 
able  sum  of  money  and  much  still  more  valuable 
time  for  the  blessed  service  to  which  she  had 
devoted  herself. 

And  so  the  storm  was  weathered,  and  when 
work  recommenced  in  the  spring  with  even 
better  prospects  and  at  the  old  rates  of  remun 
eration,  every  one  was  glad  ;  but  no  one  had 
really  suffered,  thanks  to  the  "  Do  Good 
Society  "  and  the  consecrated  hearts  that  were 
faithfully  endeavoring  to  acknowledge  Gorl 
"in  all  their  ways." 


EDUCATIONAL. 


307 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

EDUCATIONAL. 

]ITH  so  many  interests  to  fill  her  leisure 
hours,  as  well  as  such  a  pleasant  and 
restful  home,  our  little  Katie  continued 
to  bear  the  confinement  and  hard  work  of  the 
mill  better  than  her  friends  had  expected  she 
would.  Though  she  grew  rapidly  taller,  she  did 
not  become  either  pale  or  thin.  She  continued 
to  like  her  work,  and  became  more  and  more  of 
a  favorite,  both  with  her  companions  and  her 
employers  The  affair  of  the  fifty-dollar  bill 
had  been  thoroughly  explained,  and  for  a  time 
Katie  was  looked  upon  quite  as  a  martyr  heroine. 
She  was  a  little  in  danger  of  being  spoiled  by 
the  attention  she  received,  and  but  for  the 
remembrance  of  how  nearly  she  had  yielded  to 
the  temptation  to  do  wrong,  her  Christian 
character  might  have  been  seriously  injured. 
Poor  Bertie,  however,  had  a  hard  time  of  it 
when  she  first  went  back  to  the  mill.  Of 
course,  it  had  been  impossible  to  right  her 


308  KATIE  ROBERTSOX. 

companion  without  implicating  herself,  and  it 
was  hard  for  her  to  meet  the  significant  looks 
and  tones  of  some  of  the  other  girls,  who  did 
not  believe  in  the  new  saintship  and  did  very 
much  despise  the  old  malice  and  deceit. 

Although  forgiven  for  the  guilt  of  her  sin, 
the  poor  girl  had  to  find  that  she  could  not 
avoid  all  its  punishment.  No  one  can ;  and 
though  God  may  forgive  us  freely  for  the  sake 
of  his  dear  Son,  and  give  us  a  new  heart  or  a 
new  purpose  of  action,  we  shall  still  have  to 
suffer  many  of  the  consequences  of  the  wrong 
we  have  done,  and  it  can  never  be  quite  as 
though  we  had  never  sinned,  which  fact  it 
would  be  well  to  remember  before  we  are  led 
into  evil. 

Many  a  time  the  poor  girl,  quite  unaccustomed 
to  control  herself,  would  almost  break  out  into 
some  furious  response  to  an  unkind  word  or 
implied  taunt,  and  remember  just  in  time  that 
she  was  pledged  to  the  Lord's  service  and  must 
not  disgrace  his  cause.  A  swift,  silent  prayer 
for  help  then  would  always  bring  the  promised 
aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  so  by  degrees  Bertie 
learned  to  conquer  herself  and  to  lead  others 


EDUCATIONAL.  309 

to  see  that  her  repentance  was  sincere  and  her 
faith  genuine.  Katie's  friendship  was  a  great 
blessing  to  her  at  this  time.  Katie  had 
entirely  forgiven  her  treacherous  friend's  part 
in  the  affair  which  had  caused  her  so  much 
sorrow.  She  remembered  only  her  dangerous 
illness,  and  that  they  were  both  now  fellow- 
Christians  and  members  of  the  same  church. 
She  was  anxious  to  do  all  in  her  power  to  help 
Bertie  in  her  struggle  against  the  sins  of  her 
heart  and  the  bad  habits  of  her  life,  and,  as  is 
apt  to  be  the  case  when  we  forgive  and  try  to 
help  any  one,  she  soon  came  to  love  her  very 
much.  And  this  friendship  and  support  served, 
more  than  anything  else,  to  reinstate  Bertie  in 
the  good  graces  of  the  other  girls. 

It  was  stated  some  time  since  that  Mrs. 
Robertson  had  other  plans  with  reference  to 
her  family  of  girls  and  boys,  which  she 
intended  to  put  in  operation  when  the  long 
winter  evenings  came.  This  was  the  formation 
of  a  class  for  regular  study,  of  at  least  one  or 
two  of  the  branches  which  her  own  children 
had  attended  to  at  school.  But  these  plans 
were  afterward  merged  in  those  of  the  young 
manufacturer. 


3  I O  KA  TIE  R OBER TSON. 

The  mill-girls,  although  they  had  generally 
had  fair  common-school  advantages  before  they 
commenced  work,  were,  of  course,  from  that 
time  totally  deprived  of  them.  They  knew 
how  to  read,  write,  and  "  do  examples  "  in 
the  simpler  rules  of  arithmetic.  Perhaps  this 
would  be  quite  education  enough  for  those  girls 
who  are  to  pass  their  lives  in  factories  of  the 
older  world.  But  it  is  not  so  in  America, 
where  everybody  reads  and  everybody  thinks, 
where  no  one  is  stationary,  no  position  perma 
nent  —  where  the  operative  of  to-day  is  the 
employer  of  to-morrow — where  many  a  girl  steps 
from  a  position  of  toil  and  honorable  self- 
support  into  that  of  mistress  of  a  mansion,  and 
is  called  to  dispense  a  hospitality  which  in 
other  lands  would  be  called  princely.  In  our 
as  yet  unsettled  mode  of  existence,  education 
is  the  one  thing  needful,  because  education  is 
the  only  thing  of  which  the  "  chances  and 
changes"  of  life  can  not  strip  us — the  only 
thing  which  will  adapt  itself  gracefully  to  any 
position,  from  the  cottage  and  tenement-room 
to  the  presidential  chair. 

Eunice  and  James  Mount  joy  had  often  talked 


ED UCA  TIONAL.  3  I  I 

over  the  loss  of  educational  advantages  to 
which  boys  and  girls  entering  the  mill  at  so 
early  an  age  were  of  necessity  subjected,  and 
this  winter  they  took  their  youngest  sister  into 
confidence.  The  result  was  the  commencement 
of  a  "  night  school,"  held,  however,  from  four 
o'clock  till  seven.  The  mill  was  now  only 
working  three-quarters  time,  so  these  three 
hours  remained  to  be  filled  up,  and  no  one 
objected  to  putting  off  supper  an  hour  for  this 
purpose. 

The  school-house  did  double  duty  —  the  day 
scholars  departing  just  as  the  more  advanced 
classes  assembled,  and  the  trustees  gladly  gave 
the  use  of  the  building  for  so  beneficent  a 
purpose.  But  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that 
the  poor  young  overworked  teacher  could  do 
double  duty  too.  She  was,  in  fact,  only  a  girl, 
not  much  in  advance  of  the  "night  scholars," 
either  in  age  or  acquirements,  and  well  calcu 
lated  to  profit  with  them  by  superior  advantages. 
Another  hired  teacher  was  not  to  be  thought 
of,  for  the  school  committee  were  not  entrusted 
with  spare  funds,  and  the  Mount  joys,  who  might 
have  furnished  a  teacher's  board  and  salary 


->\2  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 

\J 

upon  ordinary  occasions,  were  this  winter 
taxed  to  the  utmost  strain  their  finances  would 
bear. 

In  this  dilemma  Etta  made  the  startling 
proposition  of  becoming  teacher  herself. 

"  You  !  "  said  Eunice,  in  astonishment.  For 
to  her,  her  sister  always  seemed  the  little  child 
whom  her  dead  mother  had  confided  to  her  care. 
"  You  're  not  old  enough.  I  thought  of 
offering  myself,  but  really  my  hands  are  full. 
I  can't  do  another  thing." 

"  I  should  think  not,"  said  James.  "  You 
do  everything  for  us  all.  You  need  four 
hands  for  what  you  do  already.  But  why 
should  not  Etta?  You  don't  need  her  help 
in  the  afternoons,  and  surely  she  ought  to 
be  competent." 

"  I  am  afraid  "  — 

"  I  know,"  broke  in  the  girl.  "  You  are  afraid 
I  will  get  tired  of  it,  and  drop  it  as  I  have  done 
so  many  things.  You  've  a  right  to  think  so. 
But  you  know  I  have  a  new  motive  and  a  new 
strength  now.  Eunice,  what  is  the  use  of  my 
superior  education,  if  I  can't  do  something  with 
it  for  the  Lord  ?  It  seems  to  me  that  this  is 


EDUCATIONAL. 


313 


one  of  the  '  ways '  in  which  I  can  '  acknowledge 
him.'  Won't  you  let  me  try  it  ? " 

"  If  papa  will  consent,"  said  her  sister. 
And  that  settled  it,  as  they  all  knew;  for 
Mr.  Mountjoy  always  consented  that  Etta 
should  do  exactly  as  she  pleased.  He  only 
stipulated  that  her  brother  should  always  be 
on  hand  to  bring  her  home,  as  during  the 
winter  months  the  school  would  not  be  over 
till  after  dark. 

Etta  proved — as  all  knew  she  would  prove  — 
a  very  efficient  and  interesting  teacher.  It  was 
quite  amusing  to  her  brother,  when  he  some 
times  came  for  her  half  an  hour  before  school 
was  over,  to  see  the  quiet  dignity  with  which 
she  kept  the  great  rough  boys  in  order.  But 
the  work  soon  became  too  much  for  her  alone. 
The  "  night  school"  grew  into  such  a  popular 
institution  that  it  had  more  pupils  than  one 
person  could  properly  attend  to  in  the  short 
space  of  three  hours.  So  Mr.  James  ar 
ranged  his  time  at  some  personal  sacrifice 
to  himself,  and  managed  to  take  some  of  the 
classes.  While,  to  the  great  astonishment  of 
all,  Rhoda,  the  middle  sister,  came  out  of  her 


314  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 

shell  sufficiently  to  volunteer  to  give  drawing- 
lessons  to  such  of  the  boys  and  girls  as 
should  show  any  decided  talent  or  inclination. 
There  is  something  contagious  in  beneficence. 
Those  surrounded  by  its  atmosphere  are  sure, 
sooner  or  later,  to  take  the  infection.  Of 
course  this  school  was  better  for  the  children 
than  any  plan  of  Mrs.  Robertson's  devising 
could  have  been,  and  her  whole  family  were 
among  its  most  enthusiastic  and  energetic 
members.  Gretchen  learned  to  write  English, 
and  Tessa  to  read  and  care  for  better  things 
than  sentimental  fiction.  And  Eric,  while  far 
outstripping  her  in  his  studies,  seemed  to  find 
great  pleasure  in  assisting  in  hers,  helping  her 
over  difficulties,  and  carrying  her  books  to  and 
from  the  school.  But  by  far  the  brightest  of 
the  scholars  were  Katie  and  Alfred  Robertson. 
They  both  learned  so  easily,  and  exhibited  so 
much  enthusiasm  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge, 
that  once  Eunice  Mountjoy  said  to  Mrs.  Rob 
ertson  :  — 

"  It  seems  almost  a  pity  that  your  children 
should  be  obliged  to  perform  mill-work.  My 
brother  says  that  Alfred  shows  quite  an  un- 


ED  UCA  TIONAL.  3  1 5 

common  taste  for  natural  science,  especially 
chemistry.  And  I  think  our  little  Katie  would, 
after  a  few  years'  study,  make  a  capital  teacher, 
and  you  know  she 'would  make  a  great  deal 
more  money  in  that  way  than  she  ever  can  in 
the  mill,  with  much  less  expenditure  of  time  and 
strength." 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Robertson,  with  a  sigh. 
"I  never  thought  that  my  husband's  children 
would  have  to  work  for  a  living." 

"  Working  for  a  living  is'  not  degrading,  Mrs. 
Robertson.  The  doctor  himself  did  that." 

"Of  course.  But  he  did  it  as  a  gentleman 
—  not  in  a  mill." 

"  My  father  and  brother,  too,  earn  their  livings 
in  a  mill,  and  neither  they  nor  we  feel  at  all 
degraded  by  it,"  said  Eunice,  quietly.  "  Only, 
if  your  boy  has  talents  which  will  fit  him  for 
a  profession  beneficial  to  the  human  race,  like 
that  of  his  father's,  it  seems  almost  a  pity  that 
they  should  not  be  cultivated.  Depend  upon 
it,  self-support  is  always  honorable,  for  man  or 
woman,  and  we  should  consider  our  work  high 
or  low,  not  because  it  is  considered  '  genteel '  or 
not,  but  because  it  does  or  does  not  do  the  most 


316  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

good.  I  wish  that  something  could  turn  up  to 
help  both  Alfred  and  Katie  to  better  educa 
tions,  for  I  believe  they  might  thus  do  a  great 
deal  more  good." 

And  Mrs.  Robertson  wished  so  too.  But  she 
was  wise  enough  not  to  say  anything  to  her 
children  about  it. 

Better  things  were  in  store  for  the  children, 
however,  than  their  mother's  heart  had  dared 
to  hope  for ;  and  for  once  she  felt  thoroughly 
ashamed  of  her  murmurings  and  want  of  faith. 
One  evening  toward  spring,  when  the  merry 
group  came  from  school  more  noisily  than  usual, 
and,  as  usual,  greatly  in  want  of  their  delayed 
supper,  they  were  all  slightly  astonished  to  see 
a  light  in  the  window  of  the  seldom-used  sitting- 
room.  They  noticed,  as  they  went  in,  a  strange 
hat  in  the  hall. 

"  What  can  your  mother  be  doing  in  the  best 
room?"  said  Tessa,  as  she  and  Katie  reached 
their  own  room. 

Tessa  was  always  inquisitive,  and  the  sight 
of  a  strange  man's  hat  had  greatly  excited  her 
curiosity. 

"I  am  sure  I  don't" — but  at  that  moment 


EDUCATIONAL. 


317 


the  girls  were  interrupted  by  Alfred,  who 
rushed  in  without  knocking,  and  shouted, 
though  quite  out  of  breath  with  excite 
ment  :  — 

"  Katie  !  Katie  !  Mother  wants  you  !  Come 
quick !  Who  do  you  suppose  is  here  ?  It 's 
Uncle  Alfred  —  all  the  way  from  California ! 
Isn't  it  splendid?" 

"  I  did  n't  know  we  had  an  uncle  in  California, 
did  you  ?  "  said  Katie. 

But  there  was  no  opportunity  for  her  brother 
to  answer,  as  by  this  time  they  had  reached  the 
parlor  door,  which  stood  open  now,  and  both 
children  were  warmly  embraced  by  a  gentleman 
whom  at  first  neither  of  them  could  see. 

"What  an  old  man  I  must  be/'  said  the 
gentleman,  as  he  released  them,  "  to  have 
three  such  grown-up  people  for  nephews  and 
nieces  !  And  it  seems  only  the  other  day  since 
Eric  and  I,  and  you  too,  Linda,  were  no  bigger. 
Yet  they  were  all  born  after  I  went  away. 
Such  a  little  time  !  " 

"  But  many  sad  things  have  happened  since 
then,  Alfred.  It  seems  to  me  a  very  long  time 
since  your  brother  Eric  went  away  never  to 


318  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

come  back,  and  left  me  to  battle  with  the  world 
with  no  one  to  help  me  feed  and  educate  his 
children." 

There  was  a  slight  tone  of  reproach  in  the 
widow's  tone  as  she  said  this,  but  the  returned 
brother  did  not  seem  to  notice  it,  as  he  said 
reverently :  — 

"  No  one  but  God.  You  would  have  told 
me  in  the  old  days  when  I  didn't  believe  it 
or  care  for  it  that  you  could  not  have  a  better 
or  more  efficient  friend  ;  and  now  that  I  do 
believe  it,  I  am  sure  that  you  have  found  it 
true." 

"  Yes,  I  have,"  said  the  mother,  looking  with 
thankful  pride  upon  her  well-grown  boys,  and 
bright  and  healthy,  if  diminutive,  little  girl. 
"  God  has  been  very  good  to  us,  and  I  have 
every  reason  to  think  well  of  his  protecting 
care." 

"And  the  children,"  said  their  uncle, 
"  have  they  too  learned  to  trust  in  their 
Saviour  and  do  his  will?" 

"  Eric  and  Katie  have.  Alfred  is,  I  am  afraid, 
a  little  too  much  like  his  uncle  of  old  times." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that.     He  loses  so  much 


ED  UCA  TIONAL.  319 

of  the  joy  of  youth  and  the  strength  of 
growing  up  into  true  manliness.  I  hope  he 
will  never  have  cause  to  be  as  sorry  as  his 
uncle  is  that  he  did  not  give  his  Saviour  'the 
kindness  of  his  youth.'  But  we  will  have 
plenty  of  time  to  talk  about  all  these  things 
by-and-by.  Just  now  I  am  as  anxious  for  my 
supper  as  these  young  folks  must  be.  I 
remember  of  old,  Linda,  what  a  good  supper 
you  can  give  a  hungry  traveler,  and  I  don't 
suppose  I  need  an  invitation." 

"Why,  no!"  said  his  hostess,  with  a  little 
flush  of  embarrassment.  "  Only  you  must  pre 
pare  yourself  for  a  somewhat  large  tea-party, 
and  not  of  a  very  aristocratic  kind.  For,  you 
know,  I  keep  a  sort  of  factory  boarding-house." 

"  One  who  has  camped  with  California  miners 
is  not  likely  to  be  very  fastidious,"  said  Mr. 
Robertson.  "But  I  suspect  if  your  boarders 
are  companions  of  this  niece  of  mine,  they  will 
be  good  enough  company  for  me." 


32O  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

OUT  INTO  THE  WORLD. 

|O  you  would  n't  like  to  be  my  little  girl 
and  go  to  school  and  be  educated  for 
a  lady,"  said  Mr.  Alfred  Robertson  to 
his  niece,  a  few  days  after  he  had  made  his 
unexpected  appearance  among  his  relatives. 

"  I  'd  like  to  go  to  school  and  study,  of 
course,"  said  Katie.  "  Uncle,  don't  think  me 
very  rude  or  ungrateful,  but  I  wish  you  would 
send  Alfred." 

"Why,  rather  than  yourself?" 

"  Because  Alfred  is  a  boy,  and  he  wants  to  be 
a  doctor  like  father.  He  never  told  mother,  be 
cause  he  thought  it  would  make  her  feel  badly. 
He  knew  she  had  n't  any  money  to  send  him  to 
school  or  college,  so  he  just  worked  on  at  the 
mill,  though  I  know  he  hates  it." 

"  But,  little  girl,  it  would  cost  a  great  deal  of 
money  to  send  a  boy  through  college  and  sup 
port  him  while  he  was  studying  a  profession. 
Have  you  thought  of  that?" 


OUT  INTO    THE    WORLD.  32! 

"  I  don't  know,  sir.  I  don't  know  much 
about  money.  You  are  not  rich  enough  to  do 
it  then  ?  I  'm  so  sorry,"  and  there  was  a  tone  of 
great  disappointment  in  the  young  voice. 

"I  am  rich  enough  perhaps,  but"  — 

"  Oh,  sir !  Alfred  would  be  sure  to  pay  it 
back  as  soon  as  he  became  a  doctor.  I  could 
begin  to  pay  you  now.  I  make  six  dollars  a 
week  in  the  mill  as  it  is,  and  I  could  make 
more  if  mother  would  let  me  work  over  hours. 
Alfred  would  n't  like  to  take  charity,  and  I 
would  n't  like  to  have  him." 

Her  uncle  laughed.  "  So  it  is  because  she  is 
an  independent  little  piece  that  she  does  not 
want  to  go  to  school  and  learn  to  be  a  lady," 
said  he. 

"  I  'd  like  very  much  to  learn  to  be  a 
teacher"  said  she.  "  Miss  Eunice  thinks  that 
teachers  can  do  a  great  deal  of  good,  and  I 
could  make  money  to  help  mother  with,  just  as 
well  or  better  than  I  can  in  the  mill." 

"Well,  you  shall  go  to  school  on  your  own 
terms.  You  shall  have  the  education  anyway, 
and  do  what  you  like  afterward.  And  since  you 
are  so  very  independent,  I  will  lend  you  the 


322  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

money  and  you  may  pay  it  all  back  to  me  when 
you   begin    to    make    your  fortune    by  school- 
.  teaching.     Is  it  a  bargain  ?  " 

The  little  girl  blushed  with  delight,  threw 
her  arms  around  her  kind  uncle,  giving  him  a 
kiss  by  way  of  thanks,  and  rushed  off  to  tell  her 
wonderful  news  to  her  mother.  But  she  found 
it  was  not  quite  such  news  as  she  expected  it  to 
be.  Mr.  Robertson  and  his  sister-in-law  had 
talked  it  all  over  after  the  little  folks  were  in 
bed,  and  he  had  definitely  offered  to  give  the 
two  children  the  education  which  their  mother 
had  so  greatly  desired.  He  had  amassed  con 
siderable  property  during  his  seventeen  years' 
sojourn  in  California,  and  having  no  children  of 
his  own,  was  anxious  to  make  up  to  those  of 
his  brother  for  his  long  neglect. 

"I  never  thought  anything  about  my  duty 
toward  them,"  he  said,  'until  God  brought 
me  to  myself,  and  showed  me  what  a  sinner 
I  was,  and  then  brought  me  to  himself,  and 
showed  me  what  a  Saviour  he  is.  Then  I 
began  to  remember  all  my  neglected  duties, 
and  I  determined  to  come  home  and  atone 
for  the  past  as  soon  as  I  could," 


OUT  INTO    THE    WORLD.  323 

The  proposal  of  sending  Eric,  also,  to  school 
had  been  made  to  him.  But  he  gratefully  de 
clined.  He  was  almost  a  man  now,  and  was 
used  to  his  work  and  liked  it.  He  stood  well 
with  his  employers,  and  hoped  before  many 
years  to  rise  to  the  position  of  superintendent 
of  one  of  the  departments.  His  one  great 
ambition  was  to  become  such  a  manufacturer 
as  Mr.  James.  And  in  the  meanwhile  he 
would  be  at  home  to  watch  over  his  mother 
and  contribute  to  her  support.  His  uncle 
admired  his  pluck  and  independence,  and 
did  not  press  his  offers  farther  upon  him. 
Alfred  was  delighted.  It  was  as  Katie  had 
said  :  he  had  endured  the  bindery  because  he 
must,  and  he  was  a  boy  of  too  good  principles 
to  worry  over  the  inevitable,  or  to  make  people 
unhappy  because-  of  his  likes  or  dislikes.  But, 
all  the  same,  he  had  disliked  his  work,  and 
longed  to  do  something  more  in  accordance 
with  his  tastes.  Only  to  Eric  and  Katie  had 
he  confided  his  indefinite  longings,  and  his 
mother  had  never  guessed  how  much  he  had 
desired  a  change.  Now  he  was  full  of  plans 
for  the  future;  looking  forward  especially  to 


324  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

the  days  when  he  should  restore  his  father's 
sign  to  its  old  position,  fit  up  the  house 
and  office  as  it  used  to  be,  and  support  his 
mother  in  ease  and  comfort  once  more. 

But  that  was  a  long  way  off.  A  great  deal  of 
hard  studying  had  to  be  done  first,  and  Alfred 
was  far  behind  other  boys  of  his  age  —  in  book 
knowledge,  at  least.  Perhaps  he  had,  during 
his  three  years'  experience  in  the  factory, 
learned  a  good  deal  which  would  eventually 
prove  very  useful  in  a  profession  which  dealt 
with  practical  details  of  practical  things. 
About  one  thing  he  was  quite  decided.  Deli 
cate  little  Katie  should  never  again  work  for 
her  living.  When  she  left  school  she  should 
be  a  lady,  like  Miss  Eunice  and  Miss  Etta  at 
the  great  house,  and  idle  all  day  long  if  she 
chose  to  do  so.  t 

"But  I  don't  choose,"  laughed  Katie.  "Do 
you  think  an  independent  young  lady,  who  has 
made  her  own  living  for  more  than  a  year,  will 
ever  consent  to  be  dependent  upon  any  one,  even 
if  he  is  her  brother  ?  Besides,  who  wants  to  be 
idle  ?  I  am  sure  Miss  Eunice  is  n't  idle ;  nor 
Miss  Etta,  now.  They  are  both  as  busy  as  they 


OUT  INTO    THE   WORLD.  325 

can  be  all  the  time  ;  and  Mr.  James,  too.  Think 
how  much  good  he  does,  and  all  of  them  ! " 

"  Oh,  if  you  mean  that  kind  of  work !  Miss 
Eunice  and  Miss  Etta  don't  get  paid  for  what 
they  do.  They  don't  work  for  a  living." 

"I  think  they  do,"  said  Mr.  Robertson,  who 
had  listened  quietly  to  the  talk  of  the  children. 
"  I  think  that  every  noble,  honorable  man  and 
woman  works,  and  is  glad  to  work,  for  a  living. 
The  old  saying  that  '  the  world  owes  us  a  living ' 
is  a  very  fallacious  one.  The  world  does  n't  owe 
us  anything,  and  God  does  not  either.  Indeed, 
he  has  said  :  '  If  any  man  will  not  work,  neither 
shall  he  eat.' " 

"Everybody  does  not  work  —  for  money,  I 
mean,"  said  Alfred.  "  Some  people  are  gentle 
men  and  ladies." 

"If  you  call  idlers  gentlemen  and  ladies,  we 
do  not  agree  as  to  terms ;  but  if  you  mean,  as 
I  suppose  you  do,  that  some  people,  especially 
a  large  proportion  of  women  and  girls,  do  not 
formally  receive  a  definite  amount  of  money 
for  a  definite  amount  of  work,  that  is  true. 
Don't  you  think,  though,  that  mothers  and 
sisters  and  wives,  who  keep  house,  take  care 


326  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

of  little  children,  do  all  the  family  sewing,  care 
for  the  sick,  and  attend  to  the  many  details  of  a 
woman's  life,  work? — yes,  do  a  great  deal  of 
work  for  a  very  small  amount  of  living  ?  Think 
of  your  mother  for  a  moment." 

"  Yes,  sir  ;    I  see." 

"And,"  continued  his  uncle,  "when  ladies 
devote  themselves  faithfully  to  good  works, 
Sunday-school  work,  work  among  the  poor, 
teaching,  etc.,  they  are  as  really  working  for 
their  living  as  if  they  were  in  a  factory." 

"It  doesn't  seem  so." 

"  No,  it  does  n't  seem  so,  because  we  have 
wrong  ideas  about  the  nobility  of  labor.  If  we 
really  believed  what  the  Bible  says,  —  that  the 
servant  of  all  is  the  chiefest  of  all,  —  we  should 
value  work  and  workmen  just  in  proportion  to 
the  use  which  the  work  they  do  is  to  the 
community  and  the  world.  In  that  sense, 
Alfred,  a  doctor's  work  or  a  minister's  work 
might  stand  a  little  higher  than  a  manufac 
turer's,  a  teacher's  position  be  more  desirable 
than  that  of  a  factory-girl,  because  in  all  of  these 
professions  there  is  more  opportunity  to  do 
good  to  the  bodies  and  souls  of  men ;  and  yet 


OUT  ITSTO    THE    WORLD.  327 

I  doubt  if  any  are  in  a  position  to  do  more  good 
than  your  Mr.  James  Mount  joy  and  his  family. 
And  as  to  being  gentlemen  or  ladies,  it  is  just 
as  much  your  duty  and  just  as  possible  to  be 
those  in  the  rag-room  as  in  a  palace,  should 
your  lot  be  cast  there." 

"  It  is  not  considered  so  genteel,"  said  Tessa, 
who  had  not  quite  forgotten  the  teachings  of 
her  novels. 

"  By  whom  ?  Foolish  butterflies  ?  or  men 
and  women  of  sense  ?  Gentility  meant,  origi 
nally,  gentleness  :  that  gentleness  which  better 
opportunities  of  education  were  supposed  to 
give.  But  so  much  culture  as  that  is  now  within 
the  reach  of  every  one,  and  there  is  no  reason 
why  it  should  not  exist  in  the  mill  and  the 
counting-room,  the  kitchen  and  the  store,  as 
well  as  in  the  parlor  and  the  library." 

"But  after  all,"  said  Mrs.  Robertson,  "there 
seems  something  low  and  sordid  in  working  for 
money." 

"That  is  because  we  should  not  work  for 
money  —  as  the  motive  of  work,  I  mean.  If 
every  one  in  the  world  were  a  Christian,  and  did 
the  work  which  came  to  him  to  do,  upon  Bible 


328  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

principles,  endeavoring  to  fulfil  the  precept  : 
'Whether  ye  eat  or  drink  or  whatsoever  ye  do, 
do  all  to  the  glory  of  God/  and  accepted  his 
living,  small  or  great,  from  his  hands,  just  as  a 
little  child  accepts  his  from  his  father's  hands, 
we  should  hear  nothing  about  the  degradation 
of  service.  Every  one  would  constantly  say  : 
'  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ? '  And  we 
should  take  our  daily  bread,  as  well  as  all  the 
pleasant  things  of  our  lives,  thankfully  from 
him  who  has  given  us  all  things  to  enjoy." 

Mr.  Robertson  was  rather  answering  his  sister 
and  talking  a  little  above  the  level  of  his  audi 
tors,  but  some  of  them  understood  and  remem 
bered  his  words.  To  Katie,  henceforth  work 
had  an  added  dignity .  It  was  raised  even  above 
the  high  level  upon  which  she  had  thus  far 
placed  it, — that  of  helping  her  mother, — and 
became  something  that  she  might  do  for  Jesus 
who  had  done,  and  was  still  doing,  so  much  for 
her.  She  was  quite  impatient  to  enter  upon 
those  studies  which  were  to  fit  her  for  future 
usefulness,  and  many  a  time  during  her  school 
life,  when  the  novelty  had  worn  away  and  her 
energies  might  have  flagged,  she  was  stirred  up 


OUT  INTO    THE   WORLD. 


to  new  zeal  and  perseverance  by  the  recollection 
of  this  conversation. 

To  the  other  girls  also  this  talk  about  work 
and  compensation  was  beneficial.  Perhaps 
they  might  have  felt  a  little  jealous  at  Katie's 
apparent  elevation  above  themselves,  —  even 
Christian  girls  have  wrong  feelings  sometimes, 
—  but  if  factory-work  could  really  be  done  to 
the  glory  of  God  as  much  as  teaching  could, 
there  was  nothing  degrading  in  their  work, 
nothing  aristocratic  in  Katie's.  God  had  given 
her  one  kind  of  work  to  do,  and  them  another  — 
that  was  all.  They  could  please  him  as  well  as 
she  ;  and  he  would  give  to  all  alike  a  great  deal 
more  than  they  deserved. 

And  now  began  a  busy  time  in  the  doctor's 
old  house.  Brother  and  sister  must  be  fitted 
out  for  school  with  such  wardrobes  as  they  had 
never  possessed  in  their  lives  before.  Uncle 
Alfred's  ready  purse  provided  these,  but  he 
was  careful  not  to  destroy  the  independent 
spirit  of  his  young  relatives,  and  let  them  con 
sider  this  as  the  first  instalment  of  his  loan. 

Katie  left  the  factory  at  the  close  of  the 
week,  receiving  with  her  usual  weekly  wages 


330  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

an  extra  five-dollar  bill,  as  a  testimonial  from 
Mr.  James  for  her  uniform  faithfulness  and  the 
good  example  she  had  always  set  in  the  mill. 

"  We  are  sorry  to  lose  you,  Katie,"  he  said, 
"  but  I  am  glad  that  you  are  to  be  advanced  to 
better  work  and  a  wider  sphere  of  usefulness. 
Wherever  you  go,  the  prayers  of  Squantown 
Sunday-school  will  go  with  you,  and  I  am  sure 
that  you  will  always  find,  as  you  have  done 
already,  the  truth  of  the  words  :  — 

"  *  Commit  thy  way  unto  the  Lord,  and  he 
shall  bring  it  to  pass.' " 

Nor  did  the  pleasant  incidents  stop  here.  On 
the  Wednesday  following,  Miss  Eunice  again  in 
vited  all  the  girls  of  her  sister's  class  to  unite 
with  those  of  her  own.  There  was  no  lesson 
that  night,  and  very  little  work  done.  All  the 
brothers  and  friends,  who  usually  acted  as 
escorts,  were  invited  to  come  to  tea,  and  all 
the  members  of  the  "Do  Good  Society." 
There  was  room  for  all,  and  all  had  "a  splendid 
time."  Games  were  played,  and  songs  sung, 
and  everybody  was  made  to  understand  that 
this  was  a  farewell  party  in  honor  of  Katie 
Robertson. 


OUT  INTO    THE   WORLD.  \  \  I 

\j  «j 

At  nine  o'clock  Mr.  Morven  came  in,  and, 
with  a  few  pleasant  and  earnest  words,  pre 
sented  the  little  girl  with  a  beautifully  bound 
Bible,  to  the  purchase  of  which  every  one 
present  had  contributed  a  little. 

"I  trust,"  said  he,  "that  our  little  Katie  will 
make  this  book  '  the  man  of  her  counsel,  and 
the  guide  of  her  youth,'  in  the  new  life  upon 
which  she  is  entering,  and  that,  as  the  Saviour 
to  whom  she  has  consecrated  herself  will  surely 
keep  his  promise  '  never  to  leave  or  forsake 
her/  she  will  be  faithful  'in  all  her  ways  to 
acknowledge  him,'  and  grow  in  grace  as  she 
does  in  knowledge." 

Then,  calling  his  little  congregation  to  join 
with  him,  the  good  pastor  prayed  that  the  dear 
Lord  would  guide  and  guard  this  lamb  of  his 
through  "all  the  chances  and  changes  of  this 
mortal  life,  and  finally  bring  her  to  his  heavenly 
kingdom." 

And  so,  with  loving  kisses,  and  gifts,  and 
solemn  words  of  prayer,  they  sent  Katie  Rob 
ertson  out  into  the  world  to  meet  its  responsi 
bilities. 

The  next  morning,  in  the  early  dawn,  she  and 


332  KATIE  tiOBERTSOX. 

her  brother  set  out  with  their  uncle  for  the 
schools  in  which  they  were  to  be  fitted  for 
their  life-work.  And  as  these  schools  were  a 
long  way  off,  and  the  journey  thither  rather 
expensive,  it  was  many  months  before  Squan- 
town  saw  them  again. 


CONCLUSION.  233 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

CONCLUSION. 

IND  now  we  must  draw  our  story  to 
a  close.  The  reader  has  become 
acquainted  with  its  characters,  and 
knows  about  the  agencies  for  good  which  are  at 
work  in  the  manufacturing  town  of  Squantown, 
as  well  as  the  influences  brought  to  bear  upon 
the  Christian  development  of  our  boys  and 
girls.  The  machinery  is  all  adjusted,  the  power 
is  applied,  the  wheels  are  in  motion  —  nothing 
can  hinder  continued  and  beneficent  work, 
except  the  possible  weariness  in  well-doing  of 
any  of  the  parts,  and  the  failure  to  look  to  God 
in  faith  for  his  promised  strength,  thus  cutting 
off  the  connection  with  the  source  of  all  good 
things.  So  long  as  manufacturers  and  opera 
tives,  teachers  and  scholars,  pastors  and 
people  continue  in  all  their  ways  to  acknowl 
edge  God,  this  will  not  be  the  case  ;  and  the 
manufacturing  village  will  realize  the  scriptural 
idea :  "  Happy  is  that  people  that  is  in  such 


334  KATIE  ROBERTSON. 

a  case  :  yea,  happy  is  that  people  whose  God  is 
the  Lord." 

We  may  expect  to  look  ahead  and  see  the 
boys  and  girls  with  whom  we  are  acquainted, 
growing  up  into  good,  useful,  and  happy  men 
and  women.  Bertie  Sanderson  will,  little  by 
little,  overcome  her  natural  and  acquired  faults 
of  character.  Envy  and  malice  have  already 
received  their  death  blow,  vanity  and  idleness 
will  follow  in  their  train.  The  higher  interests 
of  Christian  love  and  church-work  will  dwarf  the 
importance  of  dress  and  display,  and  Bertie 
will  grow  into  a  useful  girl,  faithful  to,  and 
contented  with,  her  position  —  a  help  to  her 
mother  at  home,  a  good  example  to  Nina  and 
the  younger  children. 

We  may  expect  to  see  Gretchen  growing 
into  a  strong,  sturdy  German  woman,  sending 
home  from  time  to  time  the  savings  of  her  earn 
ings,  which  will  help  lo  make  her  far-off  brothers 
and  sisters  very  comfortable,  the  deep,  though 
quiet,  force  of  her  affections  expanding  them 
selves  to  embrace  many  others  on  this  side  of 
the  sea.  We  may  be  sure  that  her  constant 
nature,  upheld  by  divine  grace,  will  never  lose  its 


CONCLUSION. 


335 


hold  of  the  Saviour  who  came  to  take  care  of 
her  in  answer  to  her  Sunday-school  teacher's 
call  that  Sunday  evening  when  she  seemed  to  be 
so  near  to  the  other  world. 

We  may  hope  to  see  the  other  members  of 
Miss  Etta's  class,  Miss  Eunice's  tea-party,  and 
the  "  Do  Good  Society,"  all  growing  wiser  and 
better  as  they  grow  older,  and  becoming  more 
and  more  Christ-like  as  they  follow  in  his  steps. 
And  we  may  be  sure  that  Etta  Mountjoy, 
cured  of  her  erratic  moods  and  wayward 
temper,  first  by  being  anchored  to  the  rock  of 
ages,  and  then  by  the  safeguards  and  helps 
which  the  church  of  Christ  throws  around  its 
members,  will  be  still  foremost  in  leading  the 
little  phalanx,  her  energy  and  enthusiasm 
insuring  success  in  every  good  thing  under 
taken.  She  will  find  time  for  home  duties  as 
well  as  those  of  a  more  public  kind,  will  be  a 
right  hand  to  Eunice  as  she  continues  on  the 
even  tenor  of  her  way,  and  the  sunshine  of 
home  to  her  father  and  brother  James,  until 
some  good  man  discovers  the  sunshine  and 
bears  it  away  with  him  to  be  the  illumination  of 
another  circle  and  the  centre  of  another  home. 

We   may   see    "  Mr.   James "    still   the   con- 


336  KATIE  KOBERTSOX. 

siderate  Christian  mill-owner,  conducting  busi 
ness  on  the  strictest  principles  of  integrity, 
and  treating  his  employees  as  though  of  the 
same  flesh  and  blood  as  himself,  for  whose 
bodies  and  souls  he  is  in  some  measure  respon 
sible.  And  when  at  length  Eunice  drops  the 
housekeeping  into  the  hands  of  "  Mrs.  James," 
we  may  be  sure  that  she,  as  well  as  her  husband, 
will  continue  to  "  honor  God  with  their  sub 
stance  "  and  "  in  all  their  ways  acknowledge 
him." 

If  we  turn  our  prophetic  gaze  upon  the  Rob 
ertson  family,  we  shall  find  that  the  mother 
thereof  is  gradually  exchanging  her  grumbling 
and  forebodings  of  evil  for  hope  and  thankful 
ness  at  the  success  and  good  prospects  of  her 
children,  who  are  profiting  largely  by  the  oppor 
tunities  afforded  them  by  their  uncle's  kindness. 

While  greatly  missing  her  from  her  home, 
the  mother  does  not  feel  Katie's  absence  as  she 
would  have  done  but  for  the  girl  boarders,  who, 
while  affording  her  both  society  and  support, 
give  her  such  ample  occupation  that  she  has 
little  time  to  realize  her  loneliness  or  to  indulge 
in  fretfulness.  Indeed,  Tessa  has  already  fore 
stalled  her  future  position,  and  become  to  the 


C  ONCL  US  ION. 

widow  as  a  beloved  daughter.  The  sweetness 
and  softness  of  the  Southern  girl  fit  her  to 
take  culture  and  refinement  very  easily.  She 
quickly  assimilates  with  her  surroundings,  and 
models  herself  upon  those  she  loves  and  ad 
mires  —  who  are,  in  this  instance,  Katie  Rob 
ertson  and  Etta  Mount  joy.  From  the  first, 
bold,  bright  Eric  has  felt  the  charm  of  her 
black  eyes,  and  loved  to  listen  to  her  soft, 
foreign  accent,  and  it  would  not  be  surprising 
if,  when  he  reaches  the  height  of  his  ambition, 
and  becomes  either  superintendent  of  the 
bindery  or  first  foreman  of  the  mill,  he  should 
ask  Italian  Tessa  to  share  both  his  name  and 
his  success.  But  that  is  a  great  way  off. 

Katie  is  our  first  friend.  With  her  character 
and  fortune  we  have  the  most  to  do.  It  would 
be  nice,  did  the  limits  of  our  volume  allow,  to 
follow  her  into  her  new  school-life,  to  see  how 
her  energy,  industry,  independence,  and  cheerful 
ness  go  with  her,  rebuking  homesickness,  and 
causing  her  to  make  the  most  of  every  moment, 
and  the  best  of  every  advantage.  We  should 
see  that  her  path  at  school  is  not  all  strewn 
wMh  roses,  any  more  than  was  that  at  the  mill ; 
that  different  circumstances  bring  different  temp- 


338  KATIE   ROBERTSON. 

tations  and  develop  different  traits  of  character. 
We  might  perhaps  find  that  silly  school-girk  at 
first  decline  to  admit  on  terms  of  perfect  equality 
one  who  had  "worked  for  her  living,"  and  was, 
in  their  not  very  elegant  parlance,  "  nothing 
but  a  mill-girl."  Perhaps  we  might  have  to 
chronicle  some  lonely  and  sad  hours  in  conse 
quence,  and  some  rebellious  feelings  hard  to 
be  kept  down. 

But  Katie's  life  is  in  the  keeping  of  One  wise 
enough  to  arrange  all  its  discipline,  "  as  it  may 
be  most  expedient  for  her,"  loving  enough  to 
sympathize  with  and  comfort  her  in  all  times 
of  sorrow  and  perplexity,  and  able  with  every 
temptation  to  make  also  a  way  of  escape. 

So,  guarded  and  guided,  Katie  Robertson 
will  be  able  to  live  down  all  that  foolish  and 
proud  girls  may  say  about  her,  and  in  the  end 
become  a  favorite,  not  only  with  the  wise,  dis 
criminating  teachers,  but  also  with  warm-hearted, 
if  wrong-headed,  companions.  We  believe  that 
throughout  life,  as  in  its  beginning,  she  will 
continue  to  "  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  his  righteousness,"  and  that,  as  she  daily  en 
deavors  "in  all  her  ways  to  acknowledge  him," 
he  will  "give  her  the  desires  of  her  heart." 


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